Felt By All
by Strausser
Summary: Yaoi. Twincest. AU. After Hades. Gold Cloths get passed down. Thirteen stand as one. Oh, how the mighty will break when six are forgotten. CH 20: Jabu gets an unexpected visitor, and makes an unexpected friend.
1. Aries

_Disclaimer:_ Saint Seiya and all recognized characters therein belong to the awesome Kurumada Masami-sensei. I claim no hold over them. If they were mine, then this would be a series for women instead of young boys.  
_Spoilers:_ The entire series up to and including _Hades: Inferno.  
Warnings:_ To be given before each chapter, but there is non-graphic yaoi (m/m love), non-graphic non-con (clearly marked), angst in bucketfulls and violence.

**One: Aries**

Kiki watched the world spin around him, swayed on his feet, and promptly fell flat on his face.

"We'll stop here for today," said his trainer and master, Shion.

"Thank you, Master Shion," said Kiki to the dirt. He felt the powerful Cosmos pass by as Shion headed back to the house they shared during their rigorous year of training. Only being two months in, Kiki felt proud of himself that he could keep up, even though he had never trained so hard in his life, and even though every muscle in his body ached worse than losing a battle with five Saints. He had to smile, despite the ache; Shion was a great teacher.

Slowly, wincing with each move, he lifted his head, then, upon shaking legs he stood. The muscles protested the movement vehemently, but he refused to listen to his body. Upped his Cosmos just slightly made him able to move, hopefully enough to get him back to the house where he would be expected to cook dinner for them two. All he really wanted, though, was a glass of warm milk and a pillow for his head to sleep on. With a deep breath, he trudged along the grassy plain toward the place where the house was.

Something tickled his senses, something there but not there, another Cosmos, not as prudent as Shion's, but similar in so many ways. Kiki sniffed the air, let his body take in the warmth of the approaching energy, then searched the field for whoever was there. It was not Libra Dohko, for that Cosmos he would have recognized in an instant, nor was it any of the other Gold Saints, for nobody but Shion's old friend would dare to visit during the intensified training. So who could it be? And why did Kiki think he knew the person?

In the distance walked a man. It was from that man that Kiki felt the Cosmos emitting. But who was this man? He was not dressed in a Cloth, but in a long, brown overcoat, with black boots and black gloves, and upon his head he wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered his face. The man held the hat from the winds with one hand, and held his coat closed with the other. Kiki stared, almost as if in a trance, unable to move from that spot, so curious to see whom this familiar Cosmos belonged to. The wind picked up, sending the man's hat flying. With cat-like reflexes, the man reached up and caught the hat in mid-fly to bring it back onto his head, but that was enough time for Kiki to see. The man's face was recognized instantly, and with an energy he did not know he still possessed, Kiki ran toward the man.

"Master Mu!" he called out. The man froze, Kiki ran, and leapt against the man in a great hug. He knew he should not be hugging his original master and teacher, but he had not known how much he missed the other until he saw him again. "Have you come back to train with me?" The excitement bubbled in his gut. He could no more contain the wide smile on his lips than he could stop from bouncing on his feet.

Mu looked down on him with a smile so full of sadness it momentarily made Kiki pause in his giddiness. "Master Mu?"

"I'm sorry," said Mu gently. "You must have me confused with somebody else."

Kiki's smile dropped into a slacked jaw. The man before him could be nobody else, even with the pink hair cropped to the tips of his earlobes, where Mu's hair had been down past his knees. And the wrap around the forehead made Kiki more suspicious that this man had two dots where eyebrows should be. So why would his master make such a false statement? Did he really not like Kiki anymore?

Turning, Kiki felt his spirits and stomach drop. Something heavy weighted in his chest. If this man now hated him, he could not look him in the eye. Without another word, he began to walk to the house. He was fully aware the man followed.

Kiki entered the house in a foul, depressed mood. He was angry, but more than that he was sad. He could not understand why Mu would treat him so badly. What did he do wrong?

"Took you long enough, Kiki," said Shion from the modest living room just past the front foyer. He came out from that room and looked first to his charge, then to the man behind him. "We have a visitor?"

Kiki brushed past Shion with a muttered, "I'll start dinner, Master," then went into the kitchen to distract himself from all the horrible feelings that were bubbling up inside him. Starting with the vegetables, he could hear the conversation between his two masters, chopping harder to distract himself, but unable to keep their voices from his head.

"Who are you?" asked Shion with calm suspicion.

"Just a weary traveler," sighed Mu. "I have come to ask for one night's lodging. I can pay you."

"We have no need for money," answered Shion. "You are more than welcome to spend the night here."

"Thank you. You are most kind."

Kiki bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. How could Shion, a, not recognize Mu, and b, allow the man to spend the night. Kiki did not want to spend one moment around a person he so greatly respected and cared for, only to be reminded every time he looked at the other that he was very much disliked. He clenched his fist around the handle of the knife and chopped with all his might, ending up with tiny pieces of vegetables where there should have been chunks. Not caring in the slightest, he placed the vegetables in a pot of water and turned on the stove. May as well make enough for three, even though he had lost his appetite.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Kiki tried his hardest not to look at Mu, but could not help himself. He noticed that the man who had once been vibrant and full of youth looked older, more haggard, with dark circles under his eyes that became more prominent with the depletion of the sunlight. He began to wonder, perhaps, if it was not that he was hated, but more that he was not remembered. Mu seemed to be cordial enough to Shion, and it seemed that Shion did not recognize the one he had trained to wear the Aries Cloth. It was strange, and the more Kiki thought about it, the less hurt he felt at Mu's original attitude. Something **had** happened, something terrible, and with all the curiosity his eleven-year old self had, he became determined to seek the truth.

"Master?" he began softly.

"Yes, Kiki," answered Shion just as kind.

"Whatever happened to the Aries Saint you trained before me?" He looked up quickly, to see both Shion and Mu's face, noting with half satisfaction and half confusion that while Shion's face remained calm and passive, Mu's cheeks had reddened and his face turned down. So did that mean that Mu knew who he was, but Shion did not?

"There were no other candidates," said Shion. "You were the first child I found who could wear the Aries Cloth. And I must say, you were much more prepared to train than I was at your age. You even knew how to control your Cosmos. It impressed me."

"That's because I had been trained before you," said Kiki matter-of-fact. He smiled cheekily, wondering if Shion and Mu would acknowledge each other once Kiki said everything he planned. Oh, he was not going to come right out and say that the man seated beside Shion was his former master, but he was going to mention him by name.

"Who could have trained you before me?" asked Shion jovially, acting like Kiki was playing some kind of childish game.

"Your former pupil, Aries Saint Mu." Now when Kiki said the name, he watched Mu, who's face paled at that mention, while his body grew stiff. Kiki could not help but smile, trying to nudge the man with his mind to confess to who he really was.

"There is no such person," said Shion matter-of-fact. "I would remember if I had trained anyone for this position before you."

Kiki felt stunned. There was nothing but truth in Shion's tone, and in the way Shion's eyes stared at him. His own eyes went to Mu, who had slumped slightly, emitting a Cosmos of pure depression. Kiki felt like such a fool for mentioning that in front of Shion and hurting his master so deeply. He sent out an apology through his mind to Mu, whom he was certain heard it even if there was no outwardly (or inwardly) acknowledgement.

Shion turned his attention to the man at his side. "I do apologize," he said with a smile. "We must be boring you, speaking of things you know nothing about."

"No," answered Mu. He lifted his head and smiled at Shion. To Kiki, he still looked sad. "I enjoy your conversation. I have heard, rumors, of the Saints of Athena."

"All good I hope," said Shion.

"All good."

Shion's smile was wide as he said, "Then let me introduce my young pupil, Kiki, who will one day inherit the Gold Cloth of Aries."

"Nice to meet you, Kiki," said Mu.

Kiki felt his stomach drop again as he tried to smile. "Nice to meet you, too."

"And I am Shion, his teacher. May we ask for your name, stranger?"

Mu was silent for only a moment before he answered. Kiki held his breath in anticipation. If he would not admit to being Mu, then what name would he use?

"Just call me Jack."


	2. Capricorn

_Warning_: yaoish DM/Dite

**Two: Capricorn**

Sweden was cold. Why he had agreed to train his pupil there was a mystery to Deathmask, but he had done so at Aphrodite's insistence. It would be good, he said, for the kids to be trained together. Secretly though, Deathmask knew that Dite just wanted them not to be apart for so long. At the moment, he sat upon a large boulder in the middle of a snowy field, watching his pupil dance from stick to stick with a grace earned after only four months of training. When he had chosen his pupil, he knew the Cosmos would be strong, and by the accelerated speed with which the training commenced, he knew he had not made the wrong choice. Even though, in the history of the Gold Saints, there had never been a female in the highest position. When the Cancer Cloth was finally attained, his pupil would be the first female Gold Saint.

On a whim, he used his Cosmos to throw large snowballs at her. The first one hit her in the back and toppled her from the long sticks, but she quickly regained composure and leapt back. When the next one sailed through the air, she was ready, and deftly avoided it. She had speed, he gave her that, but she did not have the Cosmos yet to correctly perform his greatest move, the Sekishiki Mei Kai Ha, of which she would have to be taught sooner or later. He opted for later.

"You'll have to do better than that, Atlantis!" he called out.

The eight-year-old girl, face covered in an expressionless steel mask, made a crude Italian gesture with her hand, then continued to leap among the sticks. He threw another snowball at her, but it missed.

Cosmos flared beside him to alert him to the new presence. Aphrodite and his pupil, Ingmar, strode up the hill to where Deathmask was seated. As Aphrodite took a grand seat beside Deathmask, Ingmar bowed shyly then looked with wide eyes at his teacher, who said, "Go play." The seven-year-old boy wasted no more time, and ran as fast as he could to join Atlantis. He tried to climb up onto the sticks, but fell each time. The girl laughed and pointed at him. She was more superior to him in more than just a year of age.

"They will be the best of friends," said Aphrodite as he snuggled against Deathmask's side.

"Cancer and Pisces always are," answered Deathmask as he crossed his arm over his chest and took hold of Aphrodite's. "Though I think she's going to kick his ass before that happens."

Aphrodite chuckled. "It's only because Ingmar is so shy. He really does have powerful Cosmos."

"You would not have chosen him otherwise."

The air stilled between them like magic as they watched the kids begin a snowball fight. They could relax in their training only because the eminent danger to their goddess Athena had been averted. The only reason to have Gold Saints now was to pass on the lineage. Already two had ascended from Bronze to Gold, and three more were still in training. Once the year was finished, all the Gold Saints would return to Sanctuary to present their pupils. Deathmask felt confident that both pupils could succeed the rigorous training regime and thus take over their respective Cloths.

Lost in their own thoughts, neither of the Gold Saints realized what was about to happen until they felt frozen snow land square in their faces.

The children laughed. Aphrodite could not hide his shocked expression while Deathmask grew angry. He stood from the rock, upped his Cosmos and brandished a fist. "You two are so going to pay for that!" he yelled.

Ingmar hid behind Atlantis, who put her hands on her hips as if protecting him from her master's rage. "Don't you lay a finger on Ingmar, _Signore_!" she yelled. "If you touch him, I'm going home!"

Aphrodite hid a chuckle behind his hand. Deathmask ground out, "Don't encourage her," through clenched teeth. Staring squarely at her, he said back, "Do you think I'll allow you to go home if you continue to behave like that? You have not even finished one-tenth of today's training. Get back to work or you'll sleep out here." He smirked, adding, "And I won't feed you," as an afterthought.

"Whatever," she said back. She grabbed Ingmar's wrist, whispered something to him to which they both giggled, and they took up a stance to fight each other.

"Obnoxious little minx you have there, Deathmask," said Aphrodite when he was joined once again.

Deathmask could not help but smile proudly. "She's great."

"You're fond of her!"

"Why wouldn't I be? That attitude of hers reminds me of somebody else I know."

Aphrodite looked affronted, but Deathmask could tell it was in jest. "I hope you're not referring to me."

"You? Never."

"Just for that, you can sleep by yourself tonight."

Deathmask leaned over and kissed Aphrodite on the cheek. "See what I mean."

Aphrodite punched him in the arm.

Training ended well after sundown, after the elders exhausted their pupils. Deathmask cooked like always, meals rich with the essential ingredients they all needed to keep up their strength, with none of the excess fat and calories they did not need, even though he occasionally baked a couple of small fruit custard pies. They ate and spoke among friendly atmosphere, where both Aphrodite and Atlantis ganged up on Deathmask most of the time and Ingmar remained silent and shy except when he was spoken to harshly by his fellow trainee. Never in his life had Deathmask remembered having so much fun; not even killing those who deserved to die brought such elation to his life. He guessed that it took the love of Aphrodite and the tutelage of Atlantis to make him find his true place in the world. Besides being a Gold Saint of Athena, of course.

"_Signore_," began Atlantis as her and Ingmar cleaned the table.

Deathmask sat back against large fluffy pillows with Aphrodite, lounging after the delicious meal to allow the kids to do their chores. "Mm?"

"Who is Shura?"

Deathmask shrugged. "Don't know. Who is it?"

Atlantis shrugged back. "Don't know. You said that name in your sleep last night. Kinda loudly, too."

Aphrodite hit Deathmask in the arm. "Are you dream-cheating on me?"

Deathmask flinched from the blow and widened his eyes at Aphrodite. "What? No, I would never dream-cheat on you." The words were his first response, and it was not until he heard Atlantis giggle that he realized what just happened. "What kind of stupid comment was that, Dite?"

"You said some guy's name in your dream," responded the Pisces. "What else would you have been dreaming about?"

"How do you know this 'Shura' is a guy?"

Aphrodite rolled his eyes. "Since when do you dream about women?"

The Cancer Saint sighed. "You got me there."

"So who is he?"

"I don't know." Deathmask turned serious. "I don't remember ever meeting somebody with that name." He turned his attention to Atlantis. "Do you remember anything else I may have said?"

The girl shook her head. "No. And I don't think you were having the kind of dreams Mister Aphrodite says you were."

"How do you know what kind of dreams I was referring to?" asked Aphrodite in clear shock.

"I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I've known about those kinds of things since I was five."

Deathmask ignored what he already knew. "How did I sound when I said that name?"

"Sad. Very sad."

Which only served to confuse Deathmask even more. He turned to Aphrodite. "Why would I be sad about a person I've never met?"

It was Aphrodite's turn to shrug.


	3. Gemini

_Warning_: Twincest (not graphic)

**Three: Gemini**

The waves of the ocean were peaceful, too peaceful, and yet not peaceful enough to calm him. Already today he had blown up at a waitress who was just trying to serve him a Mai Tai, and even as he apologized he did not truly feel sorry for spilling the drink all over her white uniform. It pained him to realize that he felt she deserved it, they all deserved to be drowned in Mai Tai, if only because they are leading such carefree lives, while he is left with turmoil.

It had been almost a year to the date he can remember when first the pain invaded his heart. Pain that sat, festered, lingered, never ended. He had to leave Sanctuary on that date, unable even to don the Gemini Cloth with the other Gold Saints and assume the duty of training a successor. He had seen the others with their charges and yearned to want the same thing. But he could not. There was a vast empty inside of him that he did not want to pass along to the next generation, an empty that could only be explained by believing in the unbelievable.

That he, the Gold Saint of Gemini, was an only child.

Never in the history of Gemini Saints had there been one without another, but in his head he knew that no such other existed. Never had. There was no twin, no brother, no other half, and the knowledge of that made him feel such unease that he did not want to be around the others. He could not watch them happy in their own little worlds while he suffered so greatly, and he could not confide in any of them, if only because he did not feel close enough to them for that. So he left, packed his things and bade farewell to Sanctuary. Athena would have to find a new person to train the Gemini Saints.

Sometimes, on nights when the loneliness became unbearable, he would take the full-length mirror from the wall and prop it up beside him in the bed so he could look at his own reflection. His hand would touch the glass, which was really just the partition separating him from his brother. He would try to touch his brother's cheek, or his arm, but because his brother was also reaching for him, only their fingertips met. In a fit of madness he would press himself against his brother and kiss him, but the cold, smooth lips held no satisfaction for him. A name would come and go in his mind, flutter like a moth, then burn in the flame. Nobody was there; he was delusional. He never had a brother. And thus he would cry himself to sleep.

Day after day after day his mind deteriorated. He hated everyone when one person laughed, and treated anyone he met with cruelty. They could all drown for all he cared, for then he could be alone with his pain. Yet, he did not want to be alone. But the one person he wanted close to him was the one person that did not exist.

There was one memory that kept him on the plane of the Earth rather than below it, and that was from many months ago, a time he knew not when, but he could remember it as if it were yesterday. More like a dream than reality, and because of what happened he knew it had to have been a dream. The sweetest dream, but a dream all the same. Which was why remembering the dream hurt so badly, yet felt so good.

He had been on the beach in the middle of the night alone, the partygoers sleeping drunkenly in their beds. The ocean was surprisingly still with only small waves crashing mutely on the shore. The sky was clear enough to see every star, and as he looked up he saw himself, the Gemini, hovering like a beacon to taunt him. We are one-half of a whole, what are you? He felt the tears start as he stared. I am one-half of nothing, he whispered to the stars. Not wanting to spend the night crying on the beach, he opted to return to his room and face himself in the mirror. At least in the few seconds before he realized that it was only his reflection, he could loose himself in the idea that he was looking at his twin.

Cosmos. A strange, familiar sensation that tickled every one of his senses. He had not felt the Cosmos of another since he was in Sanctuary, but the sensation was neither alien nor unwanted. He flared his own Cosmos to meet the other, and felt himself get tangled in warmth he never thought he would feel. For that Cosmos felt as familiar as his own, which could only mean that his other half had finally come back to him.

Quickly he stood and followed the Cosmos, feeling it get stronger and stronger within him. Where are you? his mind cried out, but there was no answer. His eyes darted frantically from ocean to grass without seeing anybody. Was his mind playing the cruelest of tricks on him? No! This could be no trick! This had to be real!

It had to.

Finally, after an eternity of searching and following the Cosmos, he saw it, or rather him, standing in the moonlight with a glow like an angel. Closer and closer he came, until he could swear he was looking into his room mirror. The man before him was his duplicate, in every way, and he could not hold himself back as he threw his arms around the warm body.

"You came back to me," he whispered, kissing over and over a warm cheek. Tears spilled from his eyes as he held the passive body tightly against himself, wishing for the moment to freeze so that he never had to let this person go.

"Kanon," whispered the man.

"I knew you existed." Kanon could not help but rub himself against the other, just to prove that the other man was really there. "I knew I was not delusional." Again he kissed his brother over and over along the neck, rubbing his fingers underneath the shirt of the other to feel that yes, there was warm skin underneath. They fell to the sand together and he could not stop himself from tasting every inch of his brother and being with him in the most intimate of ways.

"I love you, Kanon," said the twin.

"I love you, too," answered Kanon, although he could not remember his twin's name. It did not matter; he would have his twin at his side once more and learn all he could about the other. In a state of pure and total bliss, Kanon fell asleep curled within his brother's embrace, on the beach, hearing nothing but two heartbeats beating as one.

In the morning, Kanon was alone. Not a trace was left of his twin, not a note, not a hair, nothing. He clung to the belief that the encounter was real, that the other man existed somewhere and was waiting for the right time to return. But as the days passed he began to wonder if the experience occurred at all. Was it real or had it been a dream? His mind played enough tricks on him, so he did not believe it, but as days turned into weeks, he wondered if his mind could be so cruel as to taunt him with one who never existed. After months, Kanon finally came to the conclusion that his mind had devised the entire encounter to keep him from falling apart completely. There was no way that he could have a twin that never existed. His head knew that to be absolute truth.

Even if his heart denied it for all it was worth.


	4. Aquarius

**Four: Aquarius**

Hyoga stood alone in the vast expanse of snow and ice called Siberia concentrating his Cosmos to perform his ultimate attack, the Aurora Execution, on a frozen glacier. For some reason, ever since attaining the Aquarius Gold Cloth, he had felt the need to fight something, but with the world at peace and Athena out of danger, there was nobody to fight with save the occasional tiffs with his fellow Saints. So after a fond farewell with his fellows, when they went off to train with their masters: Seiya with Aiolos, Shun with Shaka and Shiryu with Dohko, Hyoga flew himself to Siberia, his old training ground, that held no memories for him other than the death of his mother. Strange. It made him so uneasy that he wanted to beat something into submission. The glaciers would have to do.

Taking stance, he clasped his hands together and raised them high above his head. Where had he learned this move? Who had taught it to him? The questions went unanswered. He did not know who his teacher was; every time he tried to think about it, there would be a fuzzy blur where a person should be. Was it the former Aquarius Saint? But it could not have been. The only Saint of Aquarius that he knew of died in the first Holy War. So who was it that told him that to be the perfect ice saint he had to lower his Cosmos to absolute zero?

Frustrated, he commenced attack, screaming, "Aurora Execution!" and lowering his arms to chest level. Cosmos flared from his clasped hands, flowed like a frozen lake toward the glacier, to shatter it to bits. As the crystals of ice showered down, Hyoga realized that he still felt horrible.

Cosmos. Two distinct Cosmos that entered the space he occupied. Neither he recognized, although a familiarity tickled at the back of his mind. Spinning, he adopted a fighter's stance, wanting, no itching, for a good fight. What he saw made him lower his guard just slightly. Two men were walking toward him, clinging to each other, dressed to the gills in warm clothes. Hyoga cursed softly in Russian under his breath; just a couple of travelers, probably lost. Lowering his fists completely, he walked to greet the visitors.

"It's freezing!" whined the man to Hyoga's right.

The second man chuckled. "This **is** Siberia."

"Tell me again why I agreed to come with you?"

The second man chuckled again and pulled the first man closer to him with an arm around the waist. "Because you love me."

"I'm a fool," grumbled the first man.

Hyoga was right on top of them. They stopped when he stood before them. The second man smiled at him with a smile that he somehow remembered, yet he did not recognize either of the two men. There was warmth in teal-colored eyes that spoke volumes to Hyoga, making him feel better than he had in a long time. Unable to stop himself, he smiled back at the man.

"Are you lost?" he asked, the words sounding stupid, but they were the only words he could think of.

"No," replied the teal-eyed man. "Actually, we are here to see you."

Shock was not an adequate word to describe the way that made Hyoga feel. "Me?" He pointed to his own chest.

The man chuckled. "Yes. You could say that I'm a big fan of yours."

"That's so stupid," mumbled the first man, clinging harder against the second.

"Ignore him," said the teal-eyed man. "He gets annoyed when he is cold."

"I hate you," said the first man, even quieter than before.

Hyoga could see that the two men before him were very close, closer than any two people he had ever seen. It made him feel a bit sad to see something that he knew he'd never have, for he only ever wanted to be that close with one person, and that person never acknowledged his feelings. Still, he felt sorry for the first guy, and wanted to extend a hand of friendship toward them.

"Why don't you join me indoors?" Hyoga offered. "It will give you a chance to warm up." This was directed at the first man.

"That sounds like a great idea," said the man.

"Certainly. We would love to join you," said the teal-eyed one.

Hyoga began a fire in the fireplace and put a pot of water on the stove to heat. Once the fire got going, the first man removed his thick gloves and sat close to the flames. The second man was offered a seat a little further away, and took it. Hyoga sat opposite them.

"So, um," Hyoga began, unsure of his words. "You said you came here to see me?"

"Yes. Stories of your heroics traveled even to our small country town. After hearing how you and your comrades defeated the Lord of Hades, I knew I had to meet you in person."

Hyoga blushed, unable to say anything.

"You have exceeded my expectations," continued the man, "and now I hear you have attained the Gold Cloth of Aquarius."

"Yes." Hyoga knew his entire face was red with embarrassment. He felt proud that somebody would come all the way from wherever to congratulate him, but at the same time he did not feel he deserved the praise. But even though he was embarrassed, the words coming from this man made him feel good, in a way he did not remember feeling for well over a year.

"Your master would be so proud of you."

Hyoga looked up at that, and saw unshed tears swimming in those teal eyes. Who was this man, and did he know of Hyoga's master?

"You know my master?"

The man seemed to come to himself, blinked to rid his eyes of wetness, then lowered his smile. "No. I was just making a statement. I'm sorry."

Hyoga's face fell. "That's okay." He smiled, but really felt like crying. "You don't know. I, um, don't have a master. Or at least, if I do, I don't know who he is."

"I'm sorry," repeated the man, sullen and low.

The silence stretched on until the whistle of the teakettle interrupted them. Without a word, Hyoga rose and poured them all cups of hot chocolate, the only hot drink he had in the house. Returning with the mugs on a tray, he smiled sheepishly. "Hope you don't mind hot chocolate."

The first man darted to the cups and took one. "I'd drink hot oil right now if it would warm me up."

Both Hyoga and the second man shared a small chuckle as Hyoga placed the tray down on a small table between them.

"My name is Hyoga," he said as he lifted his own cup and sat back down in his chair.

"I am Jacques. My companion here is Jacky."

The companion made a face.

"Nice to meet you," said Hyoga. "Where are you from?"

"New Mexico."

"New Mexico? Where is that?"

"America."

Hyoga's eyes widened. "America? Really? I've never met anyone from America before."

"Speak for yourself," said Jacky. "I'm from the real Mexico."

Hyoga stared with confusion.

"Just ignore him," said Jacques.

Jacky stuck out his tongue.

"But enough about me," said Jacques. "I'd like to hear more about you."


	5. Leo

**Five: Leo**

Aiolos laughed heartily. "Seiya. You do not need any more training."

Seiya stood in a proud, fighter's pose with his hands on his hips. He brandished a fist in the air and said, "I need to be the greatest Saint in Athena's arsenal! You must teach me everything that you know!"

Again Aiolos laughed. His pupil was so full of heart, it made him ache to be around him. Seiya would do anything for Athena, go up against anyone, which was why he wanted to be the strongest of the Saints. That, and he knew Seiya wanted to be one hundred percent worthy of inheriting the Sagittarius Cloth, which Aiolos was more than prepared to hand over. There was nobody else in the world he could think of who would be better suited to be a Gold Saint.

"Calm down, Seiya," said Aiolos joyfully. "If you burn up all your Cosmos now you won't have any for later."

Seiya grumbled, but looked to understand.

Aiolos could not help but laugh again. He had never had so much fun in his life. "Come; let us finish for today."

"Yes, master," Seiya responded dejectedly.

Aiolos frowned in mocking. "Aww, poor Seiya. You must feel so helpless with nobody to fight."

Seiya looked up with a shocked expression. Again, Aiolos laughed.

"Please don't laugh at me, master."

"I can't help it. Stop being so funny."

Seiya took his fighting stance again. "How bout I wipe that smile off your face?"

Aiolos tried hard to wipe the smile off on his own. He could tell that even though Seiya was being serious, the youth could not hide the upturn of his lips. Ever since meeting Seiya, their relationship has been very relaxed. He took a liking to the boy right away, even when he could only communicate with him via the Cloth. Now that he was back on Earth once again, Seiya, somehow, had become one of his closest friends. No matter that they were pupil and teacher, Aiolos would do anything for his charge. And he suspected the same could be said of Seiya.

A flare of Cosmos, emitted from a direction to the east. It was close, and familiar. Aiolos took up a fighter's stance as well and moved himself closer to Seiya. In the distance they could see a man approaching. Something about the man tickled at Aiolos' senses, but he knew of no one who would disturb them during training. Must either be a lost traveler or a wandering Saint, but either way, he had to be careful. They waited in silence as the man approached, neither moving, until the man was right before them.

The man was dressed in a brown overcoat that looked shabby and worn, that did not come down to cover the ratted jeans or the dirty sneakers. He had dirty-blonde hair that was cropped too close to his head, like it was done with a knife instead of shears. His skin was pallid with dark circles under his eyes, but the eyes were blue and bright. The man smiled when their eyes met, then he held up both hands with his palms out in a peaceful gesture.

"Please. I mean you no harm. I am just a lonely wanderer looking for a place to stay the night before I continue. I had not seen anyone since arriving here, so I am hoping you will allow me to stay. What little money I have I will give to you for a meager meal and some shelter. But if I am being bothersome, I will be on my way."

Aiolos met Seiya's eyes, the unspoken agreement already passing between them. Lowering his hands, he stepped to the man and extended a hand. Smiling, he said, "We would not be able to live with ourselves if we turned you away."

The man smiled brightly and shook Aiolos' hand. "Thank you."

Seiya lost his fighting mood when Aiolos accepted the stranger. Aiolos could see the change like magic before his eyes, and smiled to himself when Seiya bombarded the man with all sorts of questions.

"What's your name?" was the first.

"I am Johnny."

"I'm Seiya. I'm training to be the Gold Saint of Sagittarius."

"I've heard of the Gold Saints," said the man. "Becoming one must be quite the achievement."

"Oh, it is. I've been training for it my whole life!"

The man's smile did not reach his eyes, Aiolos noticed, but said nothing and continued to lead.

"Where are you from?"

"Canada."

"That's in North America, right?"

"Yes."

"Wow. I've never been there before. Do you like it?"

"It's very nice. Cold, but nice."

Aiolos felt warm. Not warm from the weather, but inner warmth that he melted into. The Cosmos from the stranger was what enveloped him, and he found himself floating in a calm he had forgotten he had the ability to feel. There was a familiarity, a camaraderie in that warmth that made it impossible to refuse. And he knew, without a doubt, that when the stranger departed in the morrow, he would miss that warmth desperately. Why he felt that way he did not know, for he had never seen nor met this stranger. But it was there, and he could not distance himself from it.

A meal was set and they ate in compateble conversation, with Seiya doing most of the question-asking. Aiolos found himself staring quite often at the stranger, who could have been once considered quite handsome if he ate a little more and got a bit more sleep. It startled him to his core when he realized he wanted to take care of this man, keep him from whatever harm may have caused him to have such a sad look in what should be bright eyes. Why would he want to keep a stranger safe from the world? And furthermore, why did he feel so strongly about it?

Must have been the lack of a decent meal and all the tough training he had been putting Seiya through over the past few months. Though, that never bothered him before. It seemed that ever since a year ago he had been feeling this kind of unexplained emptiness, the sort of thing that was there but not there. It was like he was missing something, a piece of his life, a piece of his heart, but what it was he did not know. Nor did he understand. Maybe it was because he was fresh from the dead, brought back by Athena's good graces, and given duties from before he was killed. And thinking that brought on another wave of confusion. Why would a nameless stranger kill a Gold Saint? He could remember where he was, somewhere just outside of Sanctuary, with the baby Athena tucked in his arms, but was the stranger after the baby or after himself? He had wondered about that ever since he was brought back. When he had asked Athena about it, she had told him that the perpetrator of the crime had been justifiably punished and that he need not worry about it any longer. Her smile reassured him at the time, but the further he got from that day, the uneasier he became. This was the first time since feeling that unease that he felt totally calm and comfortable.

Seiya was having too much fun grilling the stranger, and Aiolos was too comfortable to stop him. He leaned back in his seat against a rough pillow, slipped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. The Cosmos from both Seiya and Johnny drifted in and around him, making him sleepy but not putting him to sleep. It was their voices engaged in conversation that made him relaxed enough to float into inky darkness.


	6. Scorpio

**Six: Scorpio**

Jabu had no master to learn from, he only had books, volumes upon volumes of tomes written by the Scorpio Saint who had fought in the first Holy War, Scorpio Saint Crete. He had been a scholar as well as a Saint, one of the most learned of the twelve, and had written detailed instructions in books that could only be opened by a Scorpio with extremely powerful Cosmos. It had taken Jabu two months to gain enough Cosmos to open the books, but once he did, he learned all the secret techniques of a Scorpio Saint. There were only three major moves: Restriction, Scarlet Needle and Anteraes. He knew that it would be a major difficulty to learn such powerful techniques from the pages of books, but he was determined to achieve the Cloth. Saori was counting on him and he was loath to let her down.

Having nobody to practice with, he made due practicing the moves on the objects around him. Restriction was easy enough for him to get within the first few tries, but Scarlet Needle was harder to learn than he had thought. Even after four months he could not get the red-needle fingernail to appear, and he had read the tome explaining the relationship between Cosmos and Scarlet Needle over and over until he memorized it. The words were nothing like having a master to be taught by, but there was no Scorpio Saint. Athena had asked if he was up for the task of becoming the new Scorpio, and at the time Jabu had been so excited to have been asked that he could not wait to say yes. Now, after six months of training, he sort-of wished he had refused the position, if only because he felt so unworthy of attaining one of the greatest Cloths.

But being a Gold Saint was something all Saints dreamed of, and he would be able to live and work in the same houses that held five of the most powerful of the Bronze Saints, his rival Seiya included. Being able to fight beside them was a dream of his, however it was very unlikely that they would ever see battle as Gold Saints. Perhaps the occasional tiff, but nothing as full-scale as the battles of Sanctuary, Poseidon or Hades. But being able to finally fight and be seen as worthy in Athena's eyes was all the incentive he needed to keep steadfast in his studies. Still, having some support would be nice, and welcomed.

Extending his fingers, he concentrated on just the nail of his pointer, willing it with his Cosmos to become what it ought. He ran forward, toward a rock, and shouted, "Scarlet Needle!" before thrusting out his hand and pinpointing all his Cosmos on the tip of his finger. Once again he was met with nothing. What was he doing wrong?

"How's it going, Jabu?" asked a voice from an area too close. He jumped back and adopted his Unicorn stance. Since concentrating all of his Cosmos to perform the attack he never felt the intruding Cosmos of the newcomer. Seeing the newcomer jump and land before him, he relaxed his stance.

"Marin-san." The Silver Eagle Saint, and the former sensei of Seiya. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to help you train."

Jabu felt a wave of relief enter his body. To have somebody as strong as Marin assisting in his training was like the answer to his prayers. Perhaps with her help, he could finally master all the Scorpio moves and finally feel worthy of attaining the Gold Cloth. He smiled widely at her and said, "Thank you. I could use the help."

"Okay, Jabu. Let's rock."

Three hours later they were both exhausted. Jabu lay flat on the grass while Marin lay across from him in the exact same position. Even though he could not see her face, he could tell she was smiling just as wide as he was. It had been a glorious fight. Both their Cosmos had burned brightly, and although Jabu had been unsuccessful at launching his new Golden attack, he realized that by fighting with Marin he had become better. As she became faster the longer they fought, to compensate he had to burn his Cosmos brighter. Having Marin there really did help him focus on honing his skills, and he was certain Marin had enjoyed the fight as well.

"You have improved greatly," she said.

"Thank you. Having a partner helped." He sighed. "To tell the truth, I don't think I'm worthy of wearing the Gold Scorpio Cloth. The others' Cosmos burn so much brighter than mine, and I personally do not think they like me anyway." It was unknown why he felt comfortable voicing his fears to her, but after fighting with her, he felt that she might be a sympathetic ear.

"You were chosen by Athena," said Marin. "Of course you are worthy. And about the others, once your Gold Cloths are attained, they will learn that one can never be without the other."

"What do you mean?"

"The previous Gold Saints are all friends. They may not get along all the time, but they are friends. They have a bond that can never be broken. No matter the adversary, they always carry each other in their hearts. They live and die for each other, which is how it believed Athena's Gold Saints should be. No matter where they are, no matter the situation, they live and breathe in each others' souls. If you are to become a Gold Saint, you must learn not only to trust the others, but to accept them into your heart, as they will for you."

"That's pretty deep Marin. Where did you learn that?"

"I know it because it is the truth. Aldebaran, Kanon, Deathmask, Shaka, Dohko, Aiolos and Aphrodite are all one and the same. If you are to join them, you must all agree to become one with them. And when Kiki, AJ, Atlantis, Ikki, Shun, Shiryu, Seiya, Hyoga and Ingmar earn their Cloths, you must become one with them as well. Live together, fight together, love together, die together. It was the way of things when Shion and Dohko were first Gold Saints, it is the way of things now, and it will be the way of things when you become a Gold Saint as well."

Jabu lay in silence pondering those words. To become one with the others was a tumultuous task indeed. Did he think it could be accomplished? The five other Bronze who would be Gold were already the best of friends, closer than brothers, but that was because of all they'd been through together. Could they really take him in as one of their own? To have them know his most intimate thoughts was quite intimidating, as he had never allowed his other friends to know everything about himself. Was he capable of opening his heart to allow the entrance of eleven others?

"It will be tough," said Marin, startling Jabu, "but you can do it. I have faith and trust in Athena that she has made wise decisions regarding the newly appointed Gold Saints. You will learn to be twelve as one."

Jabu rolled the concept around in his mind. Twelve as one. It had a nice ring to it. Smiling once again, a strange notion popped into his head. "Wouldn't it be thirteen as one?"

"Thirteen?"

"Yes. Gemini always comes as twins."

"True." Marin paused. "Except Kanon."

Jabu felt unease squirm in his gut. "Yeah. Expect Kanon."


	7. Back From Abroad

**Seven: Back from Abroad**

The house was dilapidated and falling apart, which was how they got such a good deal on it. They spent the better part of three months fixing up everything broken, learning more about plumbing, carpentry and electricity than they ever thought they would, and learning about each other in the process. They discovered that Camus and Aioria were the best when it came to building things, Mu was good with the electrical wiring, Shura was good with the land around the house and the gardening, Milo knew about plumbing and Saga, being their unofficial leader, took care of all the proper paperwork. Working together, the house they bought was in tip-top condition when they were through, good enough to live in inconspicuously and comfortably for the rest of their lives. Which, according to the amount of time a person imbued with Cosmos lived, would be a very long time.

Once the house was complete, they all parted ways to embark on their final journey, to face one they wanted to see for a final time before succumbing to the life they were now meant to live. Aioria went to see his brother Aiolos, Mu went to see his former master Shion and his former pupil Kiki, Camus went to see his former pupil Hyoga and Saga went to see his twin brother Kanon. Milo had nobody special he wanted to see, so he accompanied Camus to Siberia. Shura said that he could not bear to see anyone, so he remained in the house. After almost seven months of traveling, they were finally back at the house. Shura greeted them all with smiles and hugs, and then they all sat down to a home-cooked meal to talk about their adventures.

Once the meal and the talks were over, Saga became serious. He looked each of his friends in the eyes, held them for a moment, then moved to the next. "Are we finished now?" he asked the room.

"As much as we can be," answered Mu. "I know that Kiki is in good hands and that Shion is not alone. I am certain the others are faring just as well, so I need not worry of their happiness."

"Big brother Aiolos is doing good, also. He has his hands full with Seiya, but I know that they are as close as brothers. Seiya can be my replacement." Aioria looked down at the table. "He'll probably be a better brother to him than I ever was." Shura, who was beside him, clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hyoga is doing fine," said Camus, "and I am certain that he will live up to the reputation of ice saint Aquarius."

"And my brother is. . ." Saga trailed off. How could he say that his brother was doing well when he knew that was not the case? He cleared his throat. "Kanon will be okay." He hoped.

"Are you certain you will be able to leave him be?" asked Milo, using a soft tone to convey caring.

Saga sighed. "I don't know. I know that the more I see him, the worse off he'll be, but. . ." He decided to come clean with his friends. They all shared the same boat; it was only right that they knew the truth. "It was horrible. Kanon will never be okay. It might have been better if I had stayed with him, but I cannot abandon you."

"You chose us, over your brother?" asked Mu sympathetically.

"Yes." Saga felt his emotions give way, emotions he had been bottling up ever since leaving the island where he found Kanon. He swore to himself that he would not cry over his past, what's done is done, but here, surrounded by those who cared about him, whom he cared for, the strangle-hold he held his emotions back by was slowly giving way. Swallowing down, taking a breath, he caught their eyes again. "Kanon can feel it. He knows; he understands. Even if in his mind he cannot fathom my existence, he knows it to be so. It would be better for him to believe I was dead than for him to know I never existed." Tears started in his eyes, and he knew that if he continued talking he would not be able to hold them back. The five faces that gave their all to listen to him were fraught with pity, concern and understanding. He loved them more now than he ever had. "I am afraid that the strain on his mind will break him. I do not know if he is strong enough to kill himself." A tear trailed from his eye that he quickly wiped away before saying the words that burst his heart. "He is no longer the Gemini Saint."

Milo gasped. "What do you mean?"

"He was not anywhere near Sanctuary when I found him, nor was he training a successor like the others. He was on an island, far away from Greece, as if hiding from the rest of the world. When he saw me. . ." Saga swallowed past the lump in his throat borne from memories and continued. "When he saw me, his eyes grew wild, and he held me tighter than I've ever been held. He wanted me to stay with him forever. I hated to leave him alone." More tears fell from Saga's eyes that he did not wipe away. No longer able to look at the others he hung his head and bit his lip to keep from weeping. Oh, how he missed his brother.

"You should take the matter to Athena," suggested Aioria forcefully. "She may hate us but she does not hate Kanon. She could, I don't know, make it seem like you've died, like you said, so that even if Kanon mourns, he will eventually be able to live his life again."

Saga clenched his hands in his lap. "I cannot do that," he whispered.

"Why not? It's a good idea, isn't it?"

Saga tried to sink himself as low as he could in his chair. "I can never face Athena again. None of us can, and you know it. Her mercy does not extend to us. If she is willing to help Kanon, then she will on her own. If she feels that to have Kanon hurt is to further hurt me, than that is her will."

"Athena is not cruel," said Mu. "She would never hurt Kanon on purpose."

"You are right, Mu," answered Saga, not quite believing it, but needing to at the same time. "I will trust Athena to do what is best for Kanon. She will be the one to ease his pain." He hoped. He looked back up at his friends to see their saddened expressions. Putting on a smile for them, he said, "I am sorry I've brought you all down. This was not supposed to be such a depressing occasion."

"It's all right, Saga," said Camus. "We understand." The others nodded.

Saga whispered, "Thank you." He had the best five friends a guy could ever ask for, and was glad that even in exile he had these five to share his life with.

That night, their first night back, they shared rooms with each other. Milo and Camus, who were always together, decided to split for the night to spend time with Mu and Aioria. Saga did not want to bring any of them down any more, but could not bear to be by himself, so Shura stayed the night with him, allowing him to cry hysteric on his shoulder while Shura pet his hair.

"Why am I so powerless?" asked Saga when he had finally calmed down enough to speak.

"It is how it should be, Saga," Shura answered. "You cannot fight against Fate."

"I know. But Kanon. . ."

"Kanon will forge his own path one day. He will learn to forget you. He has to."

"Or he will break so completely that he will become his own delusion."

Shura sighed and hugged Saga with one arm. "_Que sera, sera_."


	8. Virgo

_warning: slight violence, angst, infinitesimal shaka/shun_

**Eight: Virgo**

"You're not concentrating!"

A golden plate sailed through the air like a Frisbee. Shun caught it deftly with his hand before it could strike his forehead, never opening his eyes once.

"I am concentrating, Sensei," said Shun as calmly as he could. "I mean no disrespect when I suggest that perhaps you should take a break."

Shun could hear the steps before he felt the blow, a right hook across his cheek. He had long ago given up on the fact that a day of training would go by where he was not hit a few times by his master. It did not matter what he said or what he did, Shaka would take out his aggression on submissive Shun. Shun knew that it was neither of their faults, Shaka did not mean it and Shun did nothing to deserve it, but he could feel the unease in Shaka's Cosmos causing the other man to lose his normally cool demeanor. What it was had Shun baffled, but if he intended on learning all of the Virgo Saint techniques, he would have to calmly submit himself to whatever abuse was thrown at him.

"There will be no breaks until you get this right," Shaka ground out.

Shun took a deep breath and let himself go, the sting on his cheek already fading. Before allowing his mind to slip into the stream of consciousness between reality and dreams, he wondered when Shaka would unleash one of his greater attacks, perhaps under the pretense that if Shun were to lose all his senses it would make him a greater Saint.

The inky blackness dotted with stars that Shun always seemed to see whenever he meditated, suddenly exploded with great pain and flashes of light. Shaka had hit him again. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw his sensei pacing back and forth the small room they were in and muttering to himself. Shun felt the pain blossom on both sides of his face, must have been hit more than once. He would not stand without permission, but he no longer wanted to study. His stomach growled, rather loudly to indicate his hunger, and when Shaka glared at him, Shun smiled sheepishly.

"First you cannot concentrate, and now you cannot even control your bodily functions?!"

Shun hung his head. He knew he would be chastised. Every little thing he did was wrong to Shaka, but again, he knew that something was amiss. He sighed and looked back up.

"You have not eaten either, Sensei. Shall I make us something?"

The Virgo Saint's blue eyes were open and wide. He stormed to Shun and dropped to his knees before him. Quick and lightening, his fist was around Shun's throat. "You want to eat something, my pupil?" The tone used was wild and brisk, yet sticky-sweet.

"No, Sensei," Shun ground out, trying to keep his body as passive as possible as his airway constricted. "I want you to east something."

That seemed to bring Shaka back to his senses. The hand was removed and the Virgo Saint stood. "Fine. Go make us dinner."

Shun rubbed at his throat as he stared sadly at the man who had been one of the greatest Gold Saints now reduced to whatever this was. He rose and padded into the kitchen to start the meal.

Dinner was silent, as usual. Shaka never spoke while they were eating and Shun had no desire to start up a conversation that may end up in getting himself hit again. Training was always the worst for him, but he swore to endure, if not for his sake than for Shaka's. Meals were pleasant but quiet. So far, every night had been eerily nice, but Shun could not deny that there may come a day when Shaka takes advantage of him. It was just something he felt coming from the other man's Cosmos. Not that he would deny such an action. If there were anything he could do to ease the pain Shaka felt, he would gladly give up his body and soul to do it.

Once the plates were clean, Shun returned to the living room that was in the small house they were using to train. The house was in the middle of nowhere, and was probably owned by the Kiddo Corporation, along with the surrounding lands. He liked it there, finding the noiseless environment more peaceful than any place he'd ever been. He could concentrate better in this house, even more so outside, and when the time came to leave he knew he would miss this place dearly. He often wondered why this place affected him so beautiful, while it affected his teacher with madness. It was an answer he knew he would never get, so he was resolute not to even ask.

"Come, Shun, let me brush your hair."

Same request, different day, with an open, friendly smile. Was this to make up for all the swings he took at Shun during the day? Whatever it was, it was a feeling Shun truly enjoyed. It made him feel closer to his teacher, closer even than if they were to fight. With his own smile, he sat down in front of Shaka and held his knees to his chest. He closed his eyes the moment the brush ran through his hair to revel in the sensations.

"Sensei?" he began, knowing that he could speak freely now without retribution.

"Mm?"

"Am I improving?"

"Of course you are, Shun. You are the best pupil I've ever had. Actually, you are the only pupil I've ever had. But no matter, you are still the best."

Shun asked every day just to hear the praise. Never before had he fished for praise, being much too modest to want that sort of thing, but when you were beaten daily for no reason but to bear the brunt of an anger and frustration you could not fathom, some praise for all your hard work was nice to hear. It made him understand that no matter what Shaka said or did, he was truly cared for by his teacher.

Shaka's hand brushed against one of the bruises on Shun's cheek causing Shun to wince.

"I'm sorry," said Shaka. "Did I hurt you?"

"Oh, no, Sensei. It's nothing."

Shaka turned Shun's face to look at the black and blue marks on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away today. Will you forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive, Sensei," replied Shun evenly. "You are my Sensei; I am your student. You do what is right to train me."

Shun felt two powerful arms wrap around his neck and pull him to a powerful chest. Shaka was warm and Shun felt safe.

"That may be," whispered Shaka, "but that gives me no right to hurt you."

Shun sighed. It was the same conversation every night, and the same treatment every day, like Shaka had dissociative identity disorder or something. Shun learned to be okay with it. "I'm okay," he said. "It takes a lot more than that to hurt me."

"Brave, wise Shun," said Shaka. Shun felt a kiss to his temple.

"Rest now. Tomorrow is another day."

And Shun felt the warmth of his teacher's Cosmos lull him into slumber.


	9. Libra

**Nine: Libra**

Rozan Peak was the training ground for the Dragon Saint, so Rozan Peak became the training ground for the new Libra Saint. Shiryu had trained harder in the past four months than he ever had in his life, which made Dohko proud of his star pupil. Dohko also trained with Shiryu, because his body was not the old, decrepit one he had been used to for over one hundred years, but a vibrant, young twenty-year old with unlimited stamina. Shiryu asked once why his Roshi was performing the training exercises with him. Dohko had simply laughed and said that he had been out of practice for so long he wanted to make sure Shiryu was doing it right. That was enough for the young man, who never asked about it again.

They had currently finished a hundred-mile dash, the normal one they did together ever morning into afternoon. Then Shunrei, who was still living on Rozan Mountain, would serve them lunch, her cheeks stained crimson every time Dohko looked at her. He had joked once to Shiryu that she was just not used to seeing him so young and virile. Shiryu said he was not upset because he knew where Dohko's heart lied. As he laughed, Dohko wondered if life could ever get any better.

As of late, however, something was amiss, something he could not put his finger on. He knew something was wrong just by the way his Cosmos felt when he unleashed it, but could not for the life of him pinpoint what it was.

"Shiryu," he began one afternoon as they took a break from training.

"Yes, Roshi?"

"Do you ever feel that something is wrong? Like something wrong in the air?"

"Um, no, not really. Why do you ask?"

Dohko stared into the waterfall, like the heavy fall of water could provide him all the answers of the universe. "It's just that I've had this feeling of unease lately, but it's not something I can put my finger on. It's like the water. You can see it, but right when you try to touch it, it slips through your fingers. Although, I think that my own feelings of distress are worse than that."

"Can you describe it?"

"Hmm." Dohko thought for a moment, then raised his Cosmos slightly to see if he could pinpoint the sensations. "It's like there is something important I need to know, but have somehow forgotten it. When I try to remember, all I get is a blank slate. It's like I am suffering form acute amnesia. It is not a nice feeling at all." He clasped his hands behind his back, concentrating only on the waterfall. "When I stop trying to remember, my body feels numb, like it's in a trance. It is the weirdest sensation I have ever felt. For the past two weeks, I have not been able to be without one feeling or the other. I think it will drive me mad."

"I would not worry about it, Roshi."

"Mm?"

"Memories are funny. Whatever you are trying to remember will come back to you at the moment you are least expecting it. You just have to be patient and wait for it."

Dohko smiled and let out a short 'hmph'. "Since when did you become so smart?"

"Since you became my teacher, Roshi."

Dohko agreed in silence with his student. The memory would come back eventually; he would just have to use his infinite patience to wait.

A week later, the nightmares began.

He was standing in a dark room surrounded by dark walls, where black, shadowy figures moved back and forth in the room, always around him, never touching. But from each of them, he could feel a wave of Cosmos that expressed nothing but the most depressing sadness, along with loneliness and fear. Who were these figures, he would wonder, and what did they want with him? Never was he spoken to; the only thing he understood from the dreams was the emotional situation. Lost souls trying to find their way out, but since there were no doors in the room, they were stuck. The first time he awoke from the dream he felt a wash of confusion, the second time a wave of sadness. And ever night afterwards, he awoke with tears on his cheeks.

The dreams only lasted for two weeks, but every day afterwards he wanted more than anything to understand what those dreams meant. Who were those figures? Why could he never see their faces? Why did they emit such a dejected Cosmos? When he thought more about it, he wondered why they emitted a Cosmos at all? Were they fallen Saints, whom had been killed long ago, perhaps his fellow Gold Saints from the first Holy War? But why would they be haunting him now when they had never haunted him before?

"Roshi."

Dohko turned to the voice to see Shiryu in the doorway. He beaconed his student inside and smiled warmly to him.

"If you continue to concentrate so hard, you will permanent that crease in your forehead," said Shiryu.

The sentiment made his smile widen. "I'm sorry to be worrying you, Shiryu. I'll try not to linger on it too much."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

He felt comfortable enough with Shiryu to share anything, but could he correctly formulate into words all he had been experiencing? He sighed. "Please, take a seat."

He told Shiryu about the dreams and about his concerns with the dream. Perhaps his wise student would be able to bring in more insight into the nagging thoughts that would not leave Dohko alone.

"Sometimes a dream is just a dream," said Shiryu.

Dohko grimaced. "You could not make heads or tails of the dream either, could you?"

"I must confess the meanings behind such an occurrence does elude me. Perhaps you have been training too hard."

At that, Dohko laughed. "Perhaps I have not been training enough!"

"You could also try talking to Shion about it. He may be able to decipher what I could not."

"Shion would probably tell me I was going crazy and not to worry about it. For a telepath, he does not put much stock into the meaning of dreams. Now if it happened while I was awake, that would be a different story."

Shiryu smiled. "But you were not awake, Roshi."

Dohko could not remove the smile from his lips. "That is true. Well, we should see what happens over the next few months. For now, I will not worry about it any longer; there are much more important things to worry about around here. If the dream comes back, then I will take the matter up with Shion." He rose from the seat he was at. "Come, Shiryu, we have much work to do today."

Shiryu stood as well. "Of course, Roshi."

For the remainder of the time they spent at Rozan Peak, the dream never came back. But that did not mean that Dohko stopped feeling that uncomforting pull at the back of his mind. He just chose to ignore it.


	10. Taurus

_Warning:_ spoilers for Hades

**Ten: Taurus**

The crow of the rooster indicated sunrise, the time to wake from slumber and start the day. Farming was new to Aldebaran, but not new to his pupil, AJ, who had been found working on a farm among people who were not his kin. Most pupils, for some reason or another, were always orphans, so that they could be taken and trained without any familiar obligations. AJ was no exception. The nine-year-old had been found on a farm on the outskirts of Midlothian, imbued with so much Cosmos, Aldebaran could hardly believe nobody found the boy earlier. After speaking with the child, it was discovered that he was a Taurus, so training commenced that afternoon.

Now, six months in, AJ progressed at a rapid pace. His speed and strength outmatched even Aldebaran at that age, which pleased the older man to no end. He knew that this child would be the perfect inheritor of his Cloth, regardless of whether or not he could learn Taurus' greatest move, _Great Horns_, within the year.

AJ burst into the room that slept the Taurus Saint already dressed and ready for the day in a modest ensemble of a white t-shirt, blue jeans and work boots, and stood at the side of the bed staring with a giant grin on his face. Aldebaran cracked open an eye and could not help smiling back.

"Good morning, AJ," he greeted.

"Good morning, master," said the pupil. "I have breakfast ready."

The first time breakfast had been ready before sunrise made Aldebaran widen his eyes in shock. After a week, he got used to it. "Thank you, AJ. I will be dressed and ready in a moment."

AJ smiled brighter. "You don't hafta thank me every day, master. I'm used to making breakfast."

Aldebaran slid out of the covers and planted his feet on the ground. He rose, stretched, yawned, then pat the kid on the head. "Go start. I'll join you in a moment."

AJ nodded, turned and left the room.

After a hearty breakfast made with all they cultivated from the farm, it was time for the daily farm duties. Instead of traditional farming machinery, Aldebaran and AJ did all the work by hand, especially in the fields. The Taurus Saint pulled back at times to watch his student work, amazed at the speed at which the kid was progressing. AJ could carry four bushels of hey with each hand, more if he set them upon his back, and it only took him a few hours to rake the acres. Aldebaran left the heavier tasks to the kid while he fed the animals, milked the cows, collected eggs and groomed the horses. Once their morning tasks were complete, they went for a ride in the countryside. Come late afternoon, Aldebaran began the teaching and training session.

"Today," began Aldebaran, standing before his pupil outside of the barn while AJ sat on bales of hey, "we will continue our discussion of the battle of Hades."

AJ's eyes lit up. He seemed to love learning about all the epic battles that the Saints fought. But before Aldebaran could say anything, the boy raised his hand.

"Yes, AJ?"

"Master, could you tell me how you helped the Bronze Saints into Elysium?"

Aldebaran let out a chuckle. "That's easily answered. We created light."

"Huh?"

"When all twelve Gold Cloths gather, and Cosmos is raised to the highest power, we have the ability to create light brighter than the sun. We needed that light to blast a hole through the wall that separated Hades' throne room from where Hades was keeping Athena."

AJ looked to be in serious thought. "I'm confused. Aren't there only seven living Saints?"

"Eight," corrected Aldebaran.

"So how did you make light with eight when you said you needed all twelve?"

Aldebaran smiled at AJ's curiosity. "The other Cloths came to our aid. Remember, I was not among those who entered Hades, but already a part of Hades."

"Like Sagittarius and Aries Shon?"

"That's Shion, AJ."

"Right, master, sorry. Like them?"

"Um," Aldebaran thought hard about that time in Hades by the Wailing Wall. He could feel the beginnings of a headache begin to prick behind his eyes. "Aiolos was there, but I do not recall Shion being there. But the Aries Cloth was there to assist."

"So the Cloths have their own Cosmos?"

"Yes, they do."

"And they can raise their Cosmos to the highest level?"

"Um, no, Cloth cannot raise or lower Cosmos; they simply aid in projecting our own." The pounding worsened, encompassing the entire area behind both Aldebaran's eyes.

"So you didn't need all twelve to make light, only eight?"

Aldebaran felt dizzy, woozy, and his head ached something awful. He glared at AJ and snapped. "Enough!" The boy flinched and widened eyes, then looked down as if ashamed, which stabbed the Taurus Saint with a sharp pang of guilt. He softened his voice. "That's enough, AJ. Do not ask those questions again. Trust me, and trust in me. I promise never to steer you wrong."

"Okay, master. I'm sorry." AJ would not bring up his eyes.

"That's okay." Aldebaran tried to shake off the bad feelings that those questions produced, not only unable to find the answers to those questions, but also unable to understand why the asking of such things could make him so irritated. Did something happen that he was not aware of? No, that could not be. With the absence of talk the ache in his head disappeared, so he pushed all thoughts of the battle of Hades from his mind and clapped his charge on the shoulder.

"Come, AJ," he smiled. "Time to spar."

And to Aldebaran's utter delight, the child lifted bright, shining eyes and smiled big, easing any negative feelings that the Taurus had been harboring. The words faded to the breeze in favor of the grunts and cries of their training session.


	11. Atlantis

_Warning: _ yaoish

**Eleven: Atlantis**

"Don't stray too far!" called Deathmask to his charge as she raced down the path between the shopping booths. They had decided on a vacation to commemorate six good months of training (and because Deathmask was getting sick of Sweden's scenery) and opted to spend some time learning about Greece and all her cultures. While on their way to the great Grecian library to do some studying, they stopped at an open-air market to look around. Atlantis grew so excited to be somewhere other than the training grounds that she quickly ran off, taking Ingmar with her, leaving Deathmask and Aphrodite to eat their dust. Deathmask shook his head when he could no longer see them.

"They went too far, didn't they?" asked Aphrodite sarcastically.

"Shut up," answered Deathmask.

Atlantis raced through the streets with Ingmar in tow, looking at every booth, trying to decide which booth she would like to buy something from. She had been given a small sum that she kept in a pouch at her side, and wanted to use the money to get something special. So far, most of the venders sold food, but nothing intriguing enough to catch her eye. When she caught the soft voice asking her to please slow down, she did and laughed at Ingmar.

"You want something, little boy, you have to speak up," she chided.

"Sorry," he said softly.

"Well, c'mon. I wanna find something good."

"O-okay."

She walked briskly down the path, slower than before so that Ingmar could keep up, but still could not find anything of interest. Frustrated after walking down three different rows, she kicked one of the table legs, sending a merchant's wares flying.

"Hey, you brats!" screamed the merchant.

"Uh, oh," said Ingmar, as Atlantis smirked and ran off with him in tow. The merchant was too old to catch up to them. She laughed when the merchant was no longer in sight.

"I should have punched his lights out," she said.

"Master Deathmask would not have been happy about that," said Ingmar.

Atlantis gave him a stern look from behind the eyeholes in the gray mask that she wore, which was covered by tan cloths wrapped around her head. "You worry about your master, I'll worry about _Signore_."

She was about to head back the way she came but down a different isle when she felt it. Cosmos, not one belonging to anyone she knew. She had heard stories about how powerful the Saints were, but other than Deathmask and Aphrodite, she had never met another one. Excitement bubbled in her gut as she searched for the owner of the Cosmos, able to follow the trail with ease, until she came upon the back of a man who wore a long, black cloak, worn shoes and was busy haggling the price of a basket at a fruit and vegetable stand. She stood to the man's side and stared up at him.

The man and the merchant argued for a full three minutes before the merchant looked down, met the eyes of both Atlantis and Ingmar, then relented to the price the man asked. The man paid for his wares, put them in a handled, woven bag, and turned to leave. He almost tripped on the two kids.

"Whoa!" he shouted with surprise as he stepped back. "Didn't see you there."

Ingmar shyly hid behind Atlantis while she stood her ground boldly. "You are a Saint of Athena," she remarked proudly.

The man looked stricken. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I can feel your Cosmos. It's strong too, so that must mean you are one of the Gold Saints."

The man blinked, then crouched down so that he was at her level. A smile came to his lips. "Well, it seems you've got me. I am indeed one of the Gold Saints."

"I knew it!" Her voice conveyed her happiness. "So which one are you?"

The man smiled even more. "I am the Capricorn Saint."

"Capricorn." Atlantis had to think for a moment.

"You're the goat," said Ingmar timidly.

"That's right," said the man.

Atlantis gasped. "The goat!" She leapt forward and hugged the man. "You're Shura!"

The man stiffened in her arms. Gently, he pushed her away. "How did you know that?" His eyes were wild with surprise and confusion.

"Because the goat likes to eat tin cans."

"What?!"

Atlantis grabbed Shura's hand and began to pull him through the streets. "C'mon, Shura, c'mon. You have to come with me."

And for all the strength in the world, he never pulled away from the eight-year-old girl.

"Ah, I see them now," said Aphrodite to Deathmask. "And it looks like Atlantis found another victim."

Deathmask groaned. "Great."

"_Signore_! _Signore_!" cried Atlantis as she approached. "Look who I found." She tried to take another step, but found that the man she attached herself to would not, so she was forced to stop. She turned around without letting go of his wrist. "C'mon, Shura. _Signore_ wants to see you. He's been dreaming about you for the past six months."

At that, Shura blinked and looked down. "He has?"

"Yeah. He says he doesn't remember you, but I don't believe him. You two had something special, right? Before he got together with Mister Dite."

Shura seemed too in shock to answer.

"Whatever. Let's go."

But he would not move. So she motioned to Deathmask and Aphrodite to come over.

"What have you done this time, you brat?" asked Deathmask as soon as he was close enough.

"_Signore_," began the girl. "I found Shura."

Deathmask blinked in surprise. "This guy?"

"Yeah. The Capricorn Saint. He likes to eat tin cans."

Deathmask grimaced. "That's not nice."

Shura raised his free hand to cover his mouth. Atlantis looked up to see that his green eyes were glazing over like he was going to cry, and felt the emanating Cosmos turn sad. "But that's what you used to say to me all the time," he said behind his palm.

"Eh? What are you talking about? We've never met."

Tears did spill over then as Shura lowered his head. He tugged gently at the hand still held by Atlantis, trying to bid her to let go, but she refused. This was Shura, the one her master had been calling out for, the one she knew he cared for. How could he so carelessly push him away? If he ever did that to her, she would never forgive him. In fact, she would probably take his life. It pained her when she felt the Cosmos turn from sadness to total rejection.

"Oh!" Aphrodite exclaimed. He smacked Deathmask on the arm. "Look what you've done!"

"Wha?" Atlantis knew Deathmask could not get out of that no matter how hard he tried. With a satisfied smile that nobody could see, she watched as he hung his head and said, "Sorry."

"No, it's not you," said Shura behind his hand. "It's me. I'm the one who is sorry." He looked down. "Please, let me go."

Atlantis stood her ground. "No! You are Shura! You have to come home with us."

Shura crumpled to the ground. "Please," he begged, now on his knees. "Please, let me go."

"No!"

"Atlantis. That's enough."

Atlantis turned her blazing glare on her master. "No! You don't understand! This is Shura! This is the one you've been dreaming about! This is your friend! Even you can't be so cold as to deny your friend!" Her Cosmos flared as she felt her own tears start in her eyes and spill, for how could her master, somebody that she looked up to and respected (even if she did love to fight with him) deny what she knew what truth in her own heart. At the moment, she felt something she never thought she could feel for him. She hated him.

"Fine!" she spat, turning her back on him. She walked close to Shura and pat him on the head. "I'm sorry, Shura. I know what it's like when people you love don't acknowledge you."

"Do you?" he asked her in a whisper. "Do you now that just being here is breaking my heart?"

She nodded.

"Then, please, let me go. I cannot stand this."

She regarded him with concern. She did understand what he was feeling, but at the same time she did not want to let him go. She wanted to learn who he was, and why he was not remembered. "Come on, Shura," she said. "Let's get some ice cream. My treat."

He let out a short laugh and used the hand that had covered his mouth to dry his face. "Ice cream sounds great," he said.

She allowed him to stand but did not let go of his wrist. Turning to his master, she said, "Shura and I are getting ice cream." Then to the boy she said, "Ingmar, you coming?"

Ingmar looked to Aphrodite for approval. "Go ahead," said the Pisces Saint.

Atlantis took her friend by the hand and led both him and Shura back into the marketplace. Atlantis felt the Cosmos from Shura turn warm again as she led the way to the stand she had seen selling the sweet, creamy treat.

"You felt it, didn't you?" asked Aphrodite.

"Yeah. But I don't understand." Deathmask rubbed the back of his neck then turned to his companion. "Why does she know what we do not?"

"I don't know." Aphrodite let out a big sigh. "Now I'm depressed."

Deathmask smirked. "We could always get some ice cream."

Aphrodite clutched onto the Cancer Saint's arm. "Mm. But I have a better idea."

Deathmask liked the sound of that.


	12. Shura

_Warning:_ yaoish DM/Shura/Dite

**Twelve: Shura**

Ice cream came on sugary brown cones, sweet and creamy, to which three were purchased and handed out. Shura laughed as he licked his own. "I haven't had ice cream in a long time," he said.

"Then it's about time you had some," said the little girl. "We should find a place to sit down. It's hard to eat in a mask."

Shura widened his eyes. "You wear a mask even now?"

She nodded. "Mm hmm. I'm going to be the Gold Saint of Cancer; might as well get used to the thing."

Shura smiled. She did seem to have much determination and conviction. He wished he could be as strong as he knew this girl to be.

"Come. I see a place."

There were a few long tables and some dilapidated chairs set up in the center of a row of hot eateries, with few open seats, but they managed to find a place. The boy was already half-way through his ice cream and had the gooey stuff dripping from his chin. Shura chuckled as he watched the girl wipe the boy's face with her hand, before going underneath the wraps on her face to give herself enough room between the mask and her lips to lick the ice cream. Shura's own was tasty, even though he did not eat many sweet things. She had been right when she said that ice cream would make everything better.

"You know my name," he began, "but I do not know yours."

"I'm Atlantis, and he is Ingmar."

"Atlantis. That is an unusual name."

"Guess a requirement of a Cancer Saint is a weird name," she responded, making Shura laugh again.

"So if you are going to be the next Cancer Saint, that must mean that you, Ingmar, are going to be the new Pisces Saint."

Ingmar looked up when his name was said. "Yes, sir," he answered timidly.

"Do you enjoy training under Aphrodite?"

"Yes, sir. Master Aphrodite is the best master I could ask for." He blushed, then turned his head to go back to his ice cream.

"Don't mind him," said Atlantis. "He's a scardy-cat."

"Am not," responded Ingmar quietly.

Atlantis laughed. "You are so!" She pushed him gently on the back. Eyes back at Shura, she said, "But once he stops being so scared, he's gonna be a great Saint. He has a powerful Cosmos."

"That's good to hear," said Shura.

There was silence then, as the three of them ate their ice cream. Ingmar made a mess of himself, and Atlantis cleaned him up the best she could. It was nice for Shura to see them; their innocence eased his inner turmoil. He had known that he would not be able to contain his words nor emotions if he saw anyone from his previous life, which was the single reason he had not ventured out of the house when the others did. But had he known that on this day he was to meet the two people he most did not want to see again, he would have stayed in bed.

"Were you close with _Signore_?"

The question brought him from his thoughts. Leave it to a child to read his mind. "Yes," he finally said after debating whether or not to tell her the truth. May as well, seeing as how the truth would be denied if she were to ask anyone else. "Not just him. It was all three of us."

"Mister Dite, too?"

"Yes. The three of us were best friends, along with a fourth, but after a while, me, Dite and Deathmask became more than that."

"You fell in love."

Shura flinched when she said that, more because she understood than the memories the words invoked. Yes, they were lovers, all three of them, closer than kin, closer even, than the bond between Saint and Cloth. He could remember lazy mornings waking up in the Pisces temple, somehow sandwiched between the other two, squeezed by powerful arms that held him tenderly. Deathmask would always wake first to make them one of his classic breakfasts, while Shura would lie in bed making out with Aphrodite. A large tray would be brought in and they would feed each other, before falling into another bout of love. The most intimate time would come after they were finished, when Deathmask would hold them to him on either side and whisper how much he loved them. Still it was hard to believe that the cruelest of them all would be the one to spout declarations while they blissed. The nostalgia, the memories, brought tears to his eyes that he quickly wiped away. There was no use mourning the loss of the past when he could only look to the future. He had to come to terms with the fact that never again would he lay in their arms. He took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh.

"Yes. I fell in love."

Atlantis had stood from her chair and put her hand atop the one Shura had resting on his thigh. "You may think you've been abandoned, but they still think about you, even if they don't remember it in the morning."

Shura blinked to clear his vision and smiled. "It's okay. It's better they forget me."

"Why?"

He stared at her for long moments debating whether or not he should tell her. In the end, he decided to keep it to himself. Better for her not to know the truth about why he was not remembered than for her to start doubting her own position. She was to become the Gold Saint of Cancer. He wanted her to be able to fight freely without prejudice.

"I cannot tell you. But suffice to say, it is for the best."

He could sense she did not believe him, nor did she fully understand him, but she did understand that he would not tell her, and patted his hand a few times with her smaller one. "When the time comes," she said, "I will know all."

And he did not doubt in the slightest that she would.

The ice cream was gone, the sun was sinking low on the horizon, it was time to leave. Atlantis hugged Shura tightly as she said good-bye and promised that she would see him again one day. She said that she wanted him to see her once she attained her Cloth, and made him promise to be there if he received an invitation. Her insistence made him say yes, even though he understood that he could never go to Sanctuary again. But one day, he decided, he would see her in her Cloth, even if she loses all her memory of him. He would never forget her, nor the memories she represented.

Ingmar bowed to Shura and said a shy farewell. Shura took the boy's hand and shook it in the customary greeting, smiling with the boy flinched. "You will make a fine Saint," he said to the boy. "You need to worry. Aphrodite is not known for making mistakes."

Ingmar smiled with bright eyes. "Thank you, Mister Shura."

"Please, just call me Shura."

"Bye, Shura!" called Atlantis as she grabbed Ingmar's wrist to pull him away. "I'll see you soon!"

Shura raised his hand as a farewell and smiled. No matter the pain that this encounter brought, it was a memory he would cherish for the rest of his life.


	13. Kanon

**Thirteen: Kanon**

"Brother made me do it! Brother said those people were evil and needed to be punished! I did it for brother! Brother loves me!"

Two burly men dressed in white had tried to subdue the crazy, but this particular crazy was too strong for them to get a grip on. One of the men from the sanitarium shot a dart from a blowgun into the man's hip, sending the crazy crashing to sleep on the ground. After that it was easy to get the man into the straight jacket and chain his wrists and ankles together. They hauled the crazy into a white truck and drove it over five hundred miles to the mental institution, where it was determined the man, whose name was Kanon – no last name provided – would spend the rest of his natural-born life.

The doctors decided to keep this one on drugs, any drugs, in order to keep him calm and sedated. A heavy dose was needed because it seemed he was tolerant of most of the normal sedatives they usually used. It was agreed unanimously that he be kept under constant supervision, strapped down to the bed at all times except once a day when the sheets would be cleaned and he would get exercise, under heavy narcotics of course. Nobody cared if he became an addict, for this man was sentenced to the sanitarium as part of his punishment for beating and seriously wounding over seventy people. The state demanded jail, but the lawyer for the defense argued that the man was totally insane. The judge agreed. There was no jury-trial in favor of sending the madman away as quickly as possible. There was no argument from the defense.

And so Kanon found himself strapped to a white bed in a white room wearing a white t-shirt and white pants, staring at a white ceiling. The drugs kept his body still, but his mind never ceased. He could no longer feel his Cosmos, but he did not care. Every thought was on brother, how brother loved him, how brother would visit him every day to tell him just that, how brother said that everyone was evil and that they were the ones keeping them apart. Brother would kiss him and stroke his hair and tell him how proud he was of his little twin, and Kanon would smile and laugh and cry and beg his brother never to leave his side. Brother said he would stay, but he never did. Kanon wanted to kill the people who were keeping him in the room, thus separating him from his twin. If he could move, he would do just that.

"And how are you feeling today, Kanon?" asked the nurse in her disgustingly sweet voice, while she filled the syringe with more sleepytime liquid.

"Fuck you," said Kanon in a low voice. "Where is brother?"

"Who is this 'brother', Kanon?"

Kanon clenched his teeth and glared at her. She swiped his arm with an alcohol-drenched cotton ball. "My twin, my other half, my older brother, the one who loves me more than the worth of your soul."

Her smile never wavered as she plunged the needle into his arm. He hissed through his teeth but made no other sound, already used to such rough treatment.

"What is the name of this brother of yours?" she asked without looking at him.

"I don't know. But he is my own and you will never take him away from me. He will come to get me. You'll see. One day my brother will come and they'll be no stopping me."

The nurse sighed. She turned her false kind eyes on him and took up his hand that was not able to pull away. "Once you realize that you have no brother, and that you committed all those atrocities yourself, you can start on your path toward redemption." Her false smile widened. "Don't you want to be saved?"

"I know what death is like," he said, trying to be angered and cruel, but instead sounded like a meek kitten. "I will writhe in the agony of Hades for eternity, but it won't matter because I will have my brother beside me to hold my hand." His eyelids began to droop, but he did not want to fall asleep. He wanted to punch this bitch's lights out.

The nurse gasped. "If you truly do have a brother, why would you condemn him to the fires of Hell?"

"Because the Lord of Hades already has his eyes on us." Kanon could no longer keep his eyes open. From the darkness of his lids, he saw him, his brother, reaching out for an embrace. "My brother," he whispered.

"You sad, pathetic little sinner," said the nurse. "You were born for eternal damnation."

So long as he had his beloved twin beside him, he did not care. Eternity could damn his soul to infinity so long as he could continue to love his brother. Sleep was fast upon him as his older twin stroked his hair and whispered, "I love you, Kanon."

_I love you too, brother._


	14. Shun

_Warning: _non-graphic non-con Shaka/Shun. Skip this chapter if you cannot handle it.

**Fourteen: Shun**

Fists flew through the air and landed, one after another in quick succession, in his stomach, against his chest, along his cheeks, in the arms, anywhere that was exposed, which was everywhere because he would not defend himself. He stood, eyes closed, allowing the other to hit him as many times as he wanted, as hard as he could. He hoped that this time the anger would finally be cleansed.

"You are not trying hard enough!" screamed Shaka as more blows rained down.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," said Shun between the punches. He winced when the pain lanced up the slice in his lips.

"You couldn't become a Gold Saint even if you were the last Saint on Earth!"

That hurt worse than the blows, for Shun was used to the physical pain. The beatings had gotten more frequent as time passed, as did the insults, while the sweetness of the nighttime stopped altogether. Once, where Shaka would brush his hair and tell him how much he was improving had now turned into sullen nights where Shaka would be off to bed without saying a word to his student. As much as Shun missed it, he would never say or do anything to antagonize the other, even if it meant proving his worth. Already he had mastered all of the Virgo Saint attacks but he had not performed them for his teacher. He was content in the knowledge that he was ready to take the helm of the Virgo Cloth, so his only job left was to assuage the anger that his teacher felt.

"You have no worth if you cannot do as I ask!" berated Shaka. He grabbed a large chunk of Shun's hair.

Shun did not protest as he was pulled to the ground by his hair, allowing himself to be put onto his knees and have his head lowered. He wished there was something he could do for the other to better ease the suffering, but he did not know what more he could do. Still he did not understand what evil possessed Shaka, nor why the Virgo felt the need to hurt the one who was most close to him. The only thing he could do was passively accept the abuse if that was the only way to pacify the one he cared deeply for.

Shun's face was pulled to Shaka's so close that he could feel the other man's breath on his face. His eyes flew open and could not close against the wild blue ones that glared at him. A tremor past through his body, but he did not move.

"If you are not worth the time I take to train you, then you will have to earn your worth another way."

Shun trembled again with those words. He knew what was being implied, an act that he feared more than any amount of cruel words or punches. Again he told himself not to fight, just allow it to happen, for Shaka's sake. It was not Shaka's fault. It was never Shaka's fault. Just as it was not Shun's fault. He swallowed down, closed his eyes and forced his body to go limp.

"I will do whatever you ask of me, Sensei," he said softly.

It hurt. Hurt more than anything he had ever felt, not only because of the physical, but because of the mental anguish as well. The floor was cold but Shaka was hot, like a poker of fire piercing his insides. He tried not to scream save the initial one, but with each new stab of pain he could not contain his voice. Clenching his teeth did not help, nor did fisting his hands. It was pain, pure and undeniable pain, and it made Shun feel completely worthless to be allowing this to happen. Perhaps it was his fault after all. Perhaps he had not been training hard enough just like his teacher said. Perhaps Shaka could see into his soul to see that this was deserved pain for crimes committed. Shun maneuvered his body to give Shaka better access, then let himself get lost in the painful sensations. Never did it grow to feel good. And never did he not feel ashamed for being unable to do anything more than present his body for his teacher's taking.

"You're even bad at that," said Shaka once it was finished.

"I'm sorry," whispered Shun. Unable to move, he lied on the stone ground allowing his tears to flow unhindered. If Shaka would only pet his hair, just once, just to show that there was some part of him that still cared about Shun, then Shun could bear the agony for as long as it needed to continue. Nothing but wind touched Shun, and as he felt the Cosmos of his teacher leave the room, for the first time in his life he felt truly and utterly alone.


	15. Bronze Boys Back

**Fifteen: Bronze Boys Back**

One year to the day that the last trainee was sent away with his teacher (which happened to be Aldebaran's pupil), the Gold Saints were called back to Sanctuary to convene before Athena. Dohko and Shiryu were the first to arrive, followed closely by Aiolos and Seiya. Hyoga arrived next, then finally Shaka and Shun. Seiya was the first to greet his friends by clapping all of them on the back, hard.

"How have you been?" asked Shiryu to Seiya.

"Better than ever. I've mastered all the Sagittarius moves and even defeated Aiolos in a fair fight."

"Don't brag, Seiya," cautioned Aiolos with a grin. "It's unbecoming of a Saint."

"Whatever, old man."

Both Shiryu and Hyoga gasped. "Seiya!"

"What?" Seiya did not look the least bit apologetic for using such an informal, disrespectful tone with his master.

Hyoga shook his head. "Same ole Seiya."

The Gold Saints who had arrived went into the chamber of Athena before their pupils, leaving the four boys alone to catch up.

"How are things with you, Hyoga?" asked Shiryu.

"Good, I guess. I spent most of my time in Siberia working on perfecting my moves. I even managed to create a one-thousand ton _Frozen Coffin_. Took me six months to do it, too." He smiled, clearly proud of himself. "Have you finished learning all of Libra's attacks?"

"Yes. The _Rozan Hyaku Ryu Ha_ was not as difficult for me to learn as it should have been, so I, um, improved on the model."

"Don't tell me you got a thousand dragons shooting from your fists now?" asked Seiya with a hint of sarcasm.

Shiryu's cheeks flushed.

"You did!" cried Hyoga.

"You sly dog," said Seiya with a hint of envy.

All three looked to the fourth member of their crew, one who was usually quieter than the others but never silent and still like he was now. They crept up behind him and grabbed him at different places: Shiryu at his biceps, Hyoga at his sides and Seiya at his hips. Shun never flinched, but turned around slowly and, with closed eyes, flashed them a smile. "Sorry," he said smoothly. "I was meditating."

They were taken aback. "Um, okay," said Seiya.

"You certainly are taking the role of Virgo seriously," said Shiryu.

"But you don't have to hide yourself from us," finished Hyoga. "We're your best friends, your brothers. It creeps me out not to be able to look you in the eye."

"Sorry. This is part of my training that I was instructed not to stop. Perhaps once I don the Virgo Cloth I will be able to look at you once again."

Hyoga took a step back. He met the confused eyes of Seiya and Shiryu, understanding that they were all wondering the same thing. When had Shun become so cold? Not just in the closing of his eyes, but his entire demeanor. There was something distant about this Shun that none of them liked. But perhaps that was the burden of the Virgo Saint, for they had never seen Shaka so much as crack a smile, though they all knew how much Shaka cared about his fellow Gold Saints. Hyoga smiled to the others and put his arm around Shun's shoulders.

Putting his lips to Shun's ear, he whispered, "I'll be looking forward to that day." Shun's reaction of not reacting put him off a bit, but he ignored it in favor of believing that his friend would keep his promise.

Cosmos came from outside the door. Hyoga, Seiya and Shiryu turned to greet the newcomers. In walked Shion and Kiki, whom all four greeted. Kiki was instructed to remain behind as Shion entered the chamber of Athena.

"How's it going, Kiki?" asked Seiya.

"Good. Master Shion says I'm progressing at lightening speed."

"Good to hear," said Shiryu. "We are doing well, to answer before you ask."

"Heh." Kiki looked left, then right, then looked back at the Bronze Saints. "I have a question for you."

"Oh? What is it?" asked Hyoga.

"Has anyone. . .weird. . .come to visit you while you were training?"

"Weird? What do you mean by that?" asked Seiya.

"Weird, like someone you may have recognized from the past, or just somebody who might have known that you were there and came looking for you."

"No, I did not see anybody except for Roshi and Shunrei," answered Shiryu.

"I did," said Hyoga.

Kiki was all over that, pushing Seiya and Shiryu out of the way so he could be up close with Hyoga. "Tell me, Hyoga! Tell me!"

Hyoga chuckled at the kid's enthusiasm. "Okay. It was about a few months into my training after I decided to go to Siberia. These two guys came looking for me, saying how they heard about my heroics or something like that, and that they wanted to meet me. They spent one night with me, then left in the morning. Said they were from New Mexico, and that their names were Jacques and Jacky." He paused for a moment to remember how good it felt to have had them as company, even if it was for only a day. "Why do you ask?"

"Jacques and Jacky, eh?" said Kiki. "Jacques must be Camus, but who was the other?"

"What did you say?" asked Hyoga.

"Oh! Nothing." Kiki smiled. "What did the guy named Jacky look like?"

"Um, well, he had long, wavy dark-blue hair, dark blue eyes, was a bit taller than Jacques, and complained about the cold a lot. Oh! And I think they were together."

"Together?" asked Seiya.

"Yeah, like together, together."

"Like lovers?" asked Shiryu.

"Yeah, like that."

"Hmm." Kiki thought for a moment. "That could only be Milo," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. So you were the only one who had a visitor?"

"Nope," said Seiya. "Some weird guy came to see me and the old man. Said his name was Johnny. I talked to the guy for hours about becoming a Gold Saint. It was kinda strange that he listened to me without understanding what I was talking about, but it felt comfortable to talk to him about stuff."

"Aioria," muttered Kiki.

"Eh?" asked Hyoga.

"Never mind. So how about you, Shun? Did you have any strange visitors?"

"No, Kiki. There was nobody but me and Shaka-sensei the entire time."

Kiki jumped back. "Ooh, I felt a chill. You think you're taking being Virgo a bit too seriously?"

Shun did not answer. The others chuckled amongst themselves.

"Yo! We're here!" boomed a voice from the doorway. The five turned their heads to see the newcomers (except Shun who kept his eyes closed). Into the temple walked Deathmask like he owned the place, beside him Aphrodite, and behind them two young kids, one boy with his eyes on the ground and one who must have been a girl because there was a mask covering her face.

"Think you can be any louder?" asked Seiya.

Deathmask smirked. "I'm going to be nice and ignore that comment, kid." He reached back and pulled the girl by the arm to stand before him. "Meet my charge, Atlantis. Atlantis, these are the Bronzies. Bronzies, this is Atlantis."

The Bronze Saints raised a hand in greeting.

"And I want you all to be nice to my pupil, Ingmar. Ingmar, please say hello."

The shy kid walked out in front of Aphrodite and bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

"Aww, he's so cute," said Hyoga.

Atlantis brandished a fist. "Don't you be calling him cute, blondie! He's mine!"

Hyoga chuckled. "Pardon me, Atlantis-san. I mean no disrespect." He could not stop laughing.

Kiki walked up to Deathmask and glared at him with his hands on his hips. "You forgot about me, Cancer Deathmask."

"You wanna meet my pupil too, squirt?"

"Don't start with me. I've gotten stronger. I can kick your ass."

"You'd better back off, Deathmask," said Aphrodite as he clung to Deathmask's back. "Us old folks can't fight as well as we used to."

"Speak for yourse. . .ow! Dite!"

The Bronze Saints, save Shun, chuckled.

"If you will excuse us; Athena is waiting." Aphrodite pulled a grumbling Deathmask through the room and into the main chamber.

Kiki put out a hand. "Hi. I'm Kiki of the Aries Cloth."

His hand was shook by the girl. "I'm Atlantis, soon to be of the Cancer Cloth."

Kiki moved to the boy and shook his hand. The boy never looked at him. "I'm Ingmar."

Atlantis walked briskly toward the Bronze Saints. She pointed to each one as she said, "Pegasus Seiya, Sagittarius. Cygnus Hyoga, Aquarius. Dragon Shiryu, Libra. Andromeda Shun, Virgo."

Seiya was impressed. "How did you know all that?"

"_Signore_ keeps me well-educated. If we are going to work together, we need to know about each other. Both he and Mister Dite told us all about you."

All conversation was halted as the door opened for what would be the final time. In walked Aldebaran, followed by a tall boy who looked older than his proposed age, and behind him Jabu, the last of the Bronze Saints. Aldebaran strode into the room with giant steps and stopped before the rabble of children.

"How's everyone doing this fine morning?" he asked with a giant smile and a booming voice.

"Great, Aldebaran, how about you?" answered Seiya with a smile of his own.

"Wonderful. I'd like you all to meet my pupil, AJ. AJ, you'd better get to know these boys very well. They are going to become your brothers-in-arms very soon."

Atlantis stepped up. "We're not all boys, you know," she said with her hands on her hips.

Aldebaran's eyes widened slightly upon seeing her, but his smile never wavered. "My apologies, miss. I hadn't realized that anyone took a female pupil."

"The name's Atlantis, student of _Signore_ Deathmask. Nice to meet you, Mister Aldebaran."

He chuckled heartily. "Nice to meet you, Atlantis. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go meet with Athena, but I am sure to be seeing all of you quite often over the next few months." He waved, then went into the chamber where the other Gold Saints were.

"Hey, Jabu, didn't see you there," said Seiya jovially to the Bronze Unicorn Saint. He walked over so they were face-to-face. "How've ya been?"

"Good, Seiya, and yourself?" asked Jabu with a small smile.

"Can't complain. Training's been tough, but I've mastered every move."

"There he goes bragging again," commented Hyoga.

"Shut up, Hyoga. Just because I'm better than you. . ." Seiya trailed off.

Hyoga grinned. "Oh, you wanna take this outside?"

Seiya grinned back.

"Children, please," said Shiryu with his own smile. "There will be plenty of time for us to show each other our secret techniques later. Wouldn't want to ruin this happy reunion by destroying the Kyokou's temple, now would we?"

"True, true," said Seiya. "And I'll bet Jabu has mastered the _Scarlet Needle_ flawlessly, right Jabu?"

Jabu's smile turned crooked. "Yeah, that's right, Seiya."

"Say, Atlantis," began Kiki. "Did anyone strange ever come and visit you while you were training?"

"That again, Kiki?" asked Seiya.

"No, nobody came while I was training," said Atlantis. Kiki's face fell. "But I did meet Shura."

"Shura?" Kiki's face lit up with excitement. "You met Shura and know who he is?"

"Yes. Capricorn Shura. We had ice cream."

"That's great!"

"What's with you kids?" asked Seiya. "You should be well-aware that there hasn't been a Capricorn Saint since the first Holy War. If you're going to make up stories, at least make them believable."

"What did you say?" Atlantis asked hotly.

Kiki grabbed her hands. "Don't, Atlantis. They forgot. Just like Master Shion forgot. Just like, I am sure, Deathmask and Aphrodite forgot." He turned to AJ. "How about you, AJ? Did anyone strange come and visit you?"

"No. Just me and master the whole time."

"And you, Jabu?"

"The only person I saw was Marin."

"Marin helped you train?" asked Seiya in surprise.

"Yes."

Kiki ignored them and pulled Atlantis away from the Bronze Saints so he could talk to her quietly. Ingmar followed, as did AJ, and the four of them formed a huddle.

"I don't understand," said Kiki. "My master, my real master, Aries Mu, came to visit us when I was training. When I asked him about it, he said I was mistaken and that his name was Jack. It was Mu. It could not have been anyone else, yet even Master Shion, who had been Mu's teacher, did not believe me."

"_Signore_ and Mister Dite do not remember Shura, even though they saw him and he admitted who is was in front of them. _Signore_ dreams of Shura, and Shura told me that they had been in a relationship."

"Deathmask and Shura?" Kiki's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"No," answered Atlantis. "All three of them. But now they don't remember."

Kiki nodded, eyes still wide. "Hyoga and Seiya said they were visited by strangers while they were training. The people they were visited by were not strangers, but other Gold Saints: Leo Aioria, Aquarius Camus and Scorpio Milo."

"What happened to them?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Are you with me, Atlantis?"

"Yes."

"How about you, Ingmar?"

"O-okay."

"And you, AJ"

"Sure," he shrugged.

They put their hands in, one on top of the other, to seal the deal.

"What are you kids plotting over there?" asked Hyoga.

"Nothing, blondie, mind your business," snapped Atlantis.

"That's the Cancer Saint for you," laughed Seiya. "Like teacher, like student."


	16. Pisces

_Warning:_ yaoish DM/Dite

**Sixteen: Pisces**

"Ingmar. Let me show you our flowers."

Aphrodite led his shy trainee into the temple of Pisces that, even though had not been tended to in over a year, was still full of blooming roses of different colors. Red was the predominant rose in curled vines that ran up each column, but in small batches littering the ground were the white and black roses that were also used for the Pisces attacks. He watched with a small upturn of lips as Ingmar reached out to touch the petals of each rose, then pull back sharply when the roses shifted. Aphrodite suppressed a chuckle; so cute was his charge.

"Do not worry, they will not bite," he said to calm the child's trepidation.

"Sorry, master," replied Ingmar shyly.

"Come. Let me show you something else."

Aphrodite led outside the temple, toward the side, where a large rose garden had been planted many years past, most likely by the first Pisces Saint, though Aphrodite knew not if that was true. The garden was also still in full bloom, as if being tended to only by the Cosmos Aphrodite had infused the flowers with when he had last been to Sanctuary. This rose garden was different than the ones inside the temple, because the roses here were all the colors of the rainbow. Certain roses, like the green roses and blue roses were uncommon outside of this special garden, which was what made this garden all the more wonderful for Aphrodite. Each flower meant something different, a memory of his past, and he wanted his charge to cherish each flower as he did. Someday, the flowers would belong to him, and with the flowers would come Ingmar's own memories he would attach to each one.

"It's beautiful," said Ingmar with bright eyes.

"Thank you. Each color represents a distinct part of my own life. Red, to remember all those whose lives I have taken as a Saint of Athena; yellow to remember the first time I attainted my Cloth; blue to represent the mother who gave me life and taught me the mysterious secrets behind the power of roses; pink to remember Andromeda Shun, the first Saint ever to defeat me; orange to remember the passion of my own master, who taught me how to be the greatest of all Saints; white to remember the snow-covered grounds of Sweden; green to represent Athena, the goddess who gives life to all Saints; and black to always remind of me Deathmask, my death and my new beginning."

Ingmar touched each flower as Aphrodite spoke, his expression open to drink the provided information like a desert traveler at an oasis. The Pisces Saint enjoyed sharing these things with his pupil, and hoped to be able to do so even after Ingmar attained his Cloth. The smile on the child's face dropped slightly when he reached a color of flowers that had not been explained, and turned his curious face to his teacher.

"Master, what do these purple flowers represent?"

Aphrodite had thought he knew the meaning of all the colors of flowers, but for some odd reason, he could not pinpoint why there were purple roses in the garden. It sent a strange sense of unease to course through his body, a feeling he did not like at all. Why could he not remember about the purple roses? It could not be because of the importance for all the flowers in the garden were important. He clenched his fists at his side at his own brain's futility and turned away from the garden. "Don't worry about those flowers," he said rather harshly. "We must continue your training."

Aphrodite walked briskly back into the temple, followed by his trainee. The weird sensations in his gut would not go away, even after his eyes were averted and he was thinking about what he would teach this day. Angry and confused, he punched one of the pillars hard enough to crack the stone.

"Are you okay, master?" asked Ingmar timidly.

"I'm fine!" Aphrodite knew he had spoken with too much rage when he saw his charge shrink back, but he could not help it. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, he smiled at Ingmar. "Let us not worry about me. Let me teach you about the flowers that will become your greatest weapons."

For the next hour, Aphrodite taught Ingmar about the Pisces three greatest attacks: Bloody Rose, Pirhanian Rose and Royal Demon Rose. Ingmar was a quick study and shown once, he knew how to hold each flower for the attacks. Some of the bad feelings Aphrodite had been harboring gave way to a beaming sense of pride as he watched Ingmar practice and get right each of the stances. He could feel his pupil's Cosmos much more than he could in Sweden, and knew with great joy that he had chosen the right person to take over his position in Sanctuary.

"Good job," came a voice from the doorway. "Anyone for lunch?"

Aphrodite turned to see Deathmask leaning against the doorframe, Atlantis just behind him. The young girl pushed her way past her master and raced up to Ingmar before she could be stopped. "That was great!" she said, to which the boy blushed.

"I guess we can take a break," said Aphrodite with a smile. He let the two kids talk while he went up to Deathmask and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "But I don't have anything edible in my temple. Not edible for children, anyway."

Deathmask smirked, eyes shining. "Not to worry, Dite. I brought the food." He shot out a hand downward to indicate a woven picnic basket that was on the floor at his side.

"When did you get so considerate?" asked Aphrodite with another kiss to Deathmask.

"Since I knew that I'd never hear the end of it if I left you starving."

The Pisces Saint held such love for this person, knew this person more than he knew himself, and still was surprised many times by the Cancer Saint. Never before they battled in Hades could he remember Deathmask being so generous; it made him a bit flustered to see that side now. Ignoring the blush that he knew was in his cheeks, he deftly picked up the basket and strode back into the room. Deathmask followed.

"Shall we take this outside?" asked Aphrodite. "It's a bit nippy, but I think after spending the year in frozen temperatures, we can handle a bit of chill."

"Can we eat in the garden?" asked Ingmar quietly.

"Of course."

They sat amid the multi-colored roses and ate freshly prepared finger foods, laughed about nothing and talked about nonsense. Atlantis made her wild speculations about all the other Saints-in-training, to which the elder Saints had a good laugh, and when Aphrodite boasted about his trainee, Ingmar blushed deeply, to which Atlantis made fun. The air was pleasant, cool but with a sweet smell from the flowers, and when they were finished stuffing their bellies, the atmosphere was calm and relaxed.

"Say, Deathmask?" began Aphrodite, once again feeling a slight unease in his gut.

"Yes, Dite?"

"You wouldn't happen to know what my purple roses stand for, would you?"

Deathmask looked at the roses, then back at Aphrodite. "How should I know? They're your flowers."

"I know the meaning of all the roses in my garden, but I can not seem to recall the purple ones."

With a smirk, Deathmask asked, "Which ones are mine?"

Aphrodite smirked back. "The black ones."

The Cancer Saint grimaced. "Figures."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aphrodite did not like the look on his lover's face.

"You've always thought of me as evil, so of course, Deathmask must be the black flowers. Ya know, black isn't even my favorite color. You should change mine to the orange ones."

"What are you talking about? You've never had a problem being represented by the black roses before."

"Well, I do now."

"I can not just change the meaning of the flowers arbitrarily. You know orange represents my master. I can't have him being the black roses."

"Oh, but I can? So you don't feel much passion when we are together, is that it?"

Aphrodite felt affronted, yet strangely amazed that Deathmask remembered the meaning of the roses. The shock and hurt overpowered any good feelings within as the Pisces felt himself growing angry. "How can you say that? Just because I have chosen the black flowers to be yours does not mean that I love you any less."

"Maybe you never loved me at all."

A stab of pain jolted Aphrodite's heart, but he was too angry to let the wave of sadness overcome. "You are out of your mind, Deathmask! Come back when you can think normally!"

"Crazy am I?" Deathmask stood and hovered over Aphrodite with Cosmos ablaze. "How 'bout I suck the life out of your precious flowers?"

The Pisces stood and matched the onslaught of Cosmos evenly. "Don't you dare touch my roses," he responded with deadly venom in his voice.

"Yeah?" Deathmask's eyes gleamed with evil intent. "And what are you going to do about it if I do?"

Aphrodite, eyes never leaving the Cancer's face, plucked a rose from the garden, which just so happened to be a black one. "I'll make you wish you were never born."

"I already wish I had never met you."

Aphrodite gasped, too stunned to speak. That statement sent such a bolt of pain through him that he felt the need to burst into tears. But the anger overcame once again as he tightened his stance, ready to unleash one of his greatest attacks on the smirking face before him. So engrossed with thoughts of hurting the other, that he barely noticed Atlantis march beside them and kick Deathmask squarely in the shin.

"Ow! You little brat! What did you do that for?!"

"_Signore_ should not say things that he will regret!" she yelled. "You told me that Saints never say anything that they would later come to regret. As your pupil, I cannot allow you to ignore your own advice."

Deathmask glared at her and growled through clenched teeth.

The anger Aphrodite had been harboring subsided completely. Watching them was like watching a comedy show, and he could not help but cover his mouth and laugh heartily. The black rose was forgotten, and fell to the ground beside him.

Deathmask's gleaming eyes turned to him. "You are laughing at me," he said, voice still tinged with anger, but nowhere near as much as he had before.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it."

All the anger disappeared from Deathmask's face. "You are in big trouble for that, Atlantis."

"I understand, _Signore_."

He smiled. "Thank you."

Aphrodite believed that behind her mask, Atlantis was smiling proudly.

"Dite," Deathmask turned guilt-ridden eyes toward the Pisces, "I don't know what came over me."

Aphrodite pat Deathmask on the shoulder. "The same thing that came over me."

"Kiss me?"

Aphrodite folded his arms over his chest and turned his head away. "Apologize."

Deathmask growled. "Why do you have to be so difficult?"

The Pisces Saint tried not to smile.

"Fine. I'm sorry."

"And say you love me."

"What?"

"C'mon, children, I think it's about time we went back inside."

Deathmask, growling again, muttered, "Fine. I love you."

At that, Aphrodite smiled, leaned over and kissed Deathmask on the mouth. He gasped when the other man took advantage and slipped a tongue between his lips. The heady smell of the roses mixed with Deathmask's own scent to send Aphrodite's head spinning. He could no more pull away to take a breath than he could not try to dominate the kiss. They fought for control until finally it was Deathmask who relented. Aphrodite took his sweet time plundering that mouth before finally pulling back.

"You should be the black flowers," said Deathmask with a smirk and a lick of his lips. "Evil Dite."

Aphrodite took that as his cue to kiss his love one more time.


	17. The Ram and the Bull Lock Horns

**Seventeen: The Ram and the Bull Lock Horns**

Kiki and AJ trained together under the watchful eyes of Shion and Aldebaran. The Aries and Taurus Saints stood together between their houses to watch the students fight each other. They decided it would be good to have the kids test their skills together and were not disappointed, for even though Kiki was a few years older than AJ, AJ could hold his own in the hand-to-hand combat. The pride was not lost on Aldebaran's face.

"You've trained him well, Aldebaran," said Shion, staring at his own pupil with the same amount of pride.

"Thank you. Kiki is doing well. It surprises me that they seem to be on equal ground. Are you certain Kiki is not holding back?"

"Very certain. When Kiki fights, he gives it his all. Your AJ seems to have much Cosmos, and he is big, just like his teacher."

Aldebaran's cheeks pinked. "He's a fast learner."

They watched the fighting in silence, each lost in his own world of what they would teach their pupils next. Aldebaran had begun to train AJ on his ultimate attack, _Great Horns_, and the child seemed ready and able to master it with just a little more training. Shion mused that Kiki had already learned all of the Aries' moves, but there was still much training to be done for the boy to master all. So far, the only move Kiki had been able to master was _Crystal Wall_, and while Shion felt an urge to push Kiki further, he knew that he had all the time in the world.

"I think he'll even be stronger than me someday," said Aldebaran with confidence.

"I certainly hope so."

Losing his smile somewhat, the Taurus turned to the Aries. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"For our sake, I hope he doesn't get himself killed if we have another run in with the Spectres, like some other Taurus Saint did."

The smile was gone completely, replaced with a frown borne with a hint of anger. "At least the guy who killed **me** has a name."

Gone was the good-natured face of Shion, replaced with narrowed eyes and a furrowed forehead, gaze glaring at Aldebaran with much hidden contempt.

Ignoring the scathing look he received, Aldebaran continued, his mouth curving into a sneer. "Just what are you doing back here, anyway? Shouldn't you be back in the cycle of reincarnation?"

"Athena asked me to become Sanctuary's Pope again," came the answer as cold as ice.

"Hmph. One old fogie is enough around this place."

Facing the Taurus fully, Shion upped his Cosmos to where most men would feel intimidated, but know that a fight was not eminent. Aldebaran paid it no mind. "I will not have you speaking of Dohko nor me in that fashion." His tone left no room for argument.

But it seemed Aldebaran was not afraid in the slightest by the Aries, nor was he willing to forgo his argument for the sake of respect. "I'm just shocked, that's all, that you can come here and act like a teenager when you are old enough to be these kids great-great grandpa. I'm surprised that you still understand how the young mind works."

"I think you should show your elders some respect, Aldebaran, especially when your elder is your better in every way."

Aldebaran glared down at Shion, using his height as his most imposing force. The Cosmos flowed off him naturally in waves, colliding with the raised energy that drifted from the Aries. Lightening struck when their eyes met. The air around them swirled with energy.

"And I think you should show respect to those who would die to fight for what they believe in."

"What you believe in, I believe in."

"At least I did not become one of Hades' minions."

Shion widened his eyes, affronted by the accusatory tone in Aldebaran's voice. "Do not think for a moment that I would ever betray Athena. I would never do what your friends did."

Aldebaran crossed his arms over his chest and smiled smugly. "Oh, yeah? And what was that, oh wise and infallible one?"

Shion opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He faltered, and Aldebaran witnessed.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

What was it? What had been right there, right on the tip of Shion's tongue that wanted to be said? What was it that he was thinking of when he said those words? Nothing. It was nothing. And instead of letting go of the frustration he felt at not understanding his own thought train, he turned it into anger.

Cosmos raised a notch higher. "Do not mock me, Taurus, for you will find that I am a most formidable foe."

Aldebaran chuckled, but his face was drawn in a cruel expression. "Do you really think you have what it takes to defeat me, Shion? You may have been the most powerful Saint before, but that is no longer the case. I could, and will, easily take you down." In the back of his mind, Aldebaran wondered why he was saying such things, to Shion of all people, but that part of his brain quickly fizzled under the anger, turning all thoughts into one: he wanted to destroy something and destroy it completely.

Shion laughed back, but his expression was taut and his eyes hard like diamonds. "Do not dare to presume that you can defeat me, Aldebaran. I am older than you and have more experience in battle. I will never bow to your whims."

Their Cosmos was a dead match. If something did not happen soon, they would either kill each other or deadlock in a one thousand years war. Both knew what could happen if either struck, but neither cared because by attacking, they could rid themselves of the intense anger and uncomfortable unease they felt deep within. Both prepared to unleash their ultimate attack on the other. Both grinned feral. Both hated what they were about to do, but both found they could not stop themselves.

"Master! No! Stop!" cried AJ.

"Master Shion! What are you doing?!" cried Kiki.

At that moment, Aldebaran and Shion looked at their charges. Kiki and AJ came rushing up to them with lightening speed, like that of a true Gold Saint. Kiki forced himself upon Shion, wrapped his arms around his master's waist and hugged tightly. AJ, seeing Kiki, followed suit to his own teacher. They hugged with all their might.

"Please don't do this," whispered Kiki into Shion's clothes.

"There's no need to fight," said AJ.

Aldebaran and Shion seemed to snap out of whatever horrible place they had inhabited. Aldebaran put a hand to AJ's head and stroked the hair, while Shion wrapped an arm around Kiki and held him. The two elders looked at each other with forlorn expressions, then down to their pupils, then back up to each other again.

Aldebaran grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Shion. I didn't mean any of those things I said."

"Yeah," responded Shion, "me neither."

"Can you forgive me?" In Aldebaran's eyes there was a look of pleading.

Shion smiled. "Of course. We are friends, are we not?"

A look of relief passed over the bigger man's face. "Yes, we are."

They pushed apart from their pupils and looked down at them with smiles, though the smiles were far from happy, they were instead littered with guilt. "I'm sorry, AJ," said Aldebaran to the boy. "Thank you for stopping me."

"Was Kiki's idea," said AJ with glistening eyes.

"Kiki," began Shion, as he looked the boy in the eyes. "Thank you."

Kiki wiped a tear that had fallen down his cheek. "I could feel it, Master Shion. You were going to kill each other."

Shion sighed. "Then it's a good thing you stopped us. I would never want to hurt Aldebaran, as I am sure he feels the same way about me."

Aldebaran nodded.

Kiki exchanged a worried look with AJ. "Yeah, we know."

"Come. Let us put this unfortunate event behind us and go inside for lunch," suggested Shion. His face radiated nothing but good intent and happiness. The others followed suit into the Aries temple where lunch had already been prepared.

"Glad that's over," commented Aldebaran, to which he and Shion exchanged apologetic smiles.

Kiki watched them interact jovially, and knew that the deathly situation had been avoided, but in his gut he believed that the worst was far from over.

"By the way," began Aldebaran as they sat down to enjoy their meal. "What did you mean by 'you would never do what my friends did'?"

Shion paused. "I," unease showed in the frown his lips formed, "I don't know."


	18. Seiya

**Eighteen: Seiya**

Happy as a lark, Seiya raced from the Sagittarius temple, past the Scorpio temple, past the Libra temple, then stopped once he was inside the Virgo temple. He flared his Cosmos to alert those inside of his presence, and was surprised to find one but not the other. With a smile he knocked upon the door that led to the Virgo temple living quarters, glad that it was Shun he could sense.

"Oi! Shun! C'mon!" He banged upon the door with both fists in rhythm to the giddiness that swarmed his guts. This was the first day since they returned to Sanctuary that he and the other Bronze-come-Gold Saints were allowed, no rather, asked to leave Sanctuary to go on a market run. Seiya, who was first to hear that supplies were needed, had jumped at the chance to spend the day goofing around with his friends. Oh, sure, he made it seem like he was being a responsible adult by volunteering his time, but in the back of his mind he thought only of sugary sweets, bread-swordfighting, a picnic in some secluded lush area, and sleeping under the brightness of the sun. Perhaps a game or two of soccer with the local children, but most definitely time to get to know his friends all over again. What could he say? He missed them terribly while he was training with Aiolos. This was the perfect opportunity for their reunion and he was not about to let it slip through his fingers.

Slowly, the door to the Virgo living quarters creaked open. Seiya bounced from foot to foot as he waited impatiently, counting the seconds in his head until he saw the tell-tale green hair of the Andromeda. Unable to wait any longer, he bounded up to Shun and dragged the younger one out from beyond the door. Even the blank expression and the closed eyes could not deter Seiya from his happiness.

"We're going out," he ordered as he dragged Shun further into the main hall by his wrist.

Shun gently but forcefully pried his wrist from Seiya's tight grip. "I will remain here." His voice betrayed no emotion.

Seiya spun on his heels and stared at his friend. "Whadda ya mean? You can't stay here. Hyoga and Shiryu are counting on your company."

"You do not need me," declared Shun. "You three can go off and have fun yourselves. I have work to do here."

Seiya made a disbelieving face and knew that even though Shun's eyes were closed, he could tell how annoyed Seiya was. Still, he adopted his patented smile and tried his best to convince the other to join them. It would be good for Shun to get out of the stuffy temple. "We've been together for a long time, Shun; it wouldn't be the same without you. C'mon. It'll be fun. We're gonna go shopping in the marketplace, grab a bite to eat, maybe we could even challenge Hyoga and Shiryu to a two-on-two." He leaned in close to Shun's face, close enough to feel the Cosmos radiating gently from his friend's face. "You know you want to."

Shun's expression never changed. "No, Seiya. As nice as you are to offer, I cannot join you. I must stay here." Same words, same annoyingly blank face.

Seiya was beginning to get very pissed off at his friend. The cold, clipped answers grated on Seiya's nerves, and the expressionless face made him bristle even more. He had a good mind to punch his friend across the face just to gauge the reaction, but refrained only from the fear of what Shun could do in retaliation if he had indeed mastered all of the Virgo techniques. Still, he needed to speak his mind, and no amounts of hidden threats could stop him.

"This new attitude of yours has got to stop," Seiya said finally, unable to contain his anger any longer.

"Oh?" came the distant response, one word and nothing more.

"It's annoying! I hate it, Shiryu hates it and Hyoga hates it! You've closed yourself off from your friends, your brothers, and we won't stand for it!"

Shun's face finally showed something other than passiveness with the furrowing of his brows. "What do you plan on doing about it, Seiya?"

The tone sent chills up Seiya's spine, but he was never one to back down from a fight. He stepped nose-to-nose with Shun, his clenched fists trembling with the desire to let loose. He breathed hard, the anger warring with concern over the drastic change in his friend. What could be done to remedy the situation was far from Seiya's grasp, so he did the only thing he knew: he yelled.

"Open your eyes, Shun!"

Shun unfurrowed his brows, adopting the same cold, expressionless mask once more. "I have told you before, this is part of my training."

"Bullshit! Shaka would never make you close yourself off from your friends!"

"How do you know what Sensei would and would not do? Your teacher is not mine, Seiya; they have different ideas on how to train their pupils."

Seiya was struck dumb by that sentence. Was Shun trying to tell him something without really saying it? No, that could not be. They both had trained hard to attain their Bronze Cloths, why would training be so much worse to attain a Gold one? Sure, training to be a Gold Saint was much more exhausting and required a lot more endurance, but since fighting on the side of Athena for the better part of three years as her top warriors, hadn't they already attained all the strength they needed to ascend to a higher Cloth? Something had happened to Shun, that was certain, but Seiya doubted it had anything to do with the way his friend was trained. Perhaps Shun, upon attaining the power to wear the Virgo Cloth, had decided his friends were not worth his time any longer?

There was anger then, much anger, anger that Seiya did not know what to do with. He had never felt such a rage for any of his friends, least of all Shun. Clenching his fists against his side was all he could do to prevent himself from doing something he knew he would regret. After a few deep breaths to calm himself, he said, "Whatever, Shun. If you want to shut out those who care about you, I hope you are prepared for the day when we shut you out as well." The words left a bad taste in his mouth, but he could not prevent himself from saying them. It was true. If Shun continued in this vein of blocking everyone out, soon they would want nothing to do with him, even if they still greatly cared for him.

Seiya turned away from his friend and began to walk from the Virgo temple. Anger remained, more now at himself for his inability to get through to Shun than at Shun for acting distant. He could not understand why he wanted to beat the shit out of something, he just did. The rage roared in his ears so loudly that he almost missed the sound of his name.

"Seiya."

He froze, the soft sound resounding hope in his chest. The way his name was spoke was just the way his name used to be called when the four of them were out fighting the good fight. Smile on his lips, he turned around, hoping to catch his friend's green gaze. "Yeah?"

But the face that greeted him was not as expected. Closed eyes and an expressionless mask was all he saw. "Nothing. Have fun." Shun turned and walked back into the quarters of the Virgo temple, leaving Seiya alone in the main corridor.

"Dammit, Shun!" Seiya threw out a fist of Cosmos, which landed in a perfect circle to dent an inner pillar. His knuckles stung from the blow, but it did not make him feel any better. There had been something there in Shun's voice, he knew it, but what he could not decipher. More than anything he wanted to break through to his friend, but what more could he do? Maybe if he discussed it with Shiryu and Hyoga they could come up with a plan of action. There had to be a way to get through, there had to! He would not chalk it up to Shun not caring for them anymore; that was simply impossible. Still, those thoughts did not make him feel any better. Heaving a great sigh of frustration, he made his way out of the Virgo temple to inform the others that their friend Shun, was no longer their friend Shun.


	19. Kiki

_Author's Note: _I appologize greatly for making you wait. I hope the remainder of this story is well worth the time it took to write it. I thank everyone for sticking with me for so long, and I hope you enjoy where the story takes us. This is the single daunting chapter that has kept me from continuation. It may not look like it, but it was. Now that this hurdle is jumped, I hope to be more proficient with my posting. My Muse has successfully trapped me back into the wonderful world of Saint Seiya and all the goodness it has to offer. So, without further ado, I present:

**Chapter Nineteen: Kiki**

While the Bronze boys were out shopping in the market place, the younger Gold trainees were allowed a play date. They met on the steps that led from Cancer to Leo. Kiki was first to arrive, followed by Atlantis, then Ingmar, then A.J. Kiki wanted answers, and knew that today was the perfect day to search because the Gold Saints were taking a relaxing day off. So the first thing he said when everyone arrived was:

"Okay, guys. Today we get answers."

A.J. looked lost and Ingmar shuffled his feet as he looked down at them. Only Atlantis bounced up and down with excitement. Kiki could feel her wide-eyed, smiling expression behind her mask. He was glad they were willing to go with him; it was a little intimidating to try and pry answers from one who was their superior in every way. It was nice to have friends, and through those friends Kiki hoped to find out exactly what had happened to the missing six Saints. Ever since he had been visited by Mu he had been feeling a deep sadness at the loss of his true master and wanted to do everything in his power to shed some light upon why those Gold Saints were no longer part of their lives. Not only that, but he could see that the others were affected by the loss as well, even if they did not understand it. Even Shion grew angry at times for no reason. Kiki would bet his Cloth that it was because of the missing Saints. So, with a deep breath and a firm determination, he decided to do everything he could to gain them some peace.

"What's the plan?" asked Atlantis, her voice slightly higher from excitement.

"We talk to Libra Dohko," replied Kiki seriously. "He is the eldest of the Gold Saints and should know what could have happened to have six forgotten like they never existed."

"Isn't Shion just as old as Dohko?" asked Atlantis.

"Master Shion is in a meeting with Athena all day to discuss our progress and cannot be bothered. And even if he were around to speak with, he is a master of misdirection. If I were to ask him about something as serious as Saints he can't remember, he'd start talking about all the times I forgot about something and we wouldn't get anything accomplished."

"What did you forget?" asked A.J.

Atlantis was the one to answer. "That's not important right now." She raced up the steps to the entrance of the Leo temple then looked down on the boys who were still at the center. "Well? C'mon!" she shouted. "What are you waiting for?"

Kiki, not wanting to be outdone by his fellow trainee, raced up the steps to join her as she disappeared into the corridor of the Leo temple. The other two followed suit, and they made their way through the reminder of the temples until they reached the seventh, the temple of the Scales. He rapped none too gently upon the door that led to the Libra living quarters and was taken aback at how quickly said door opened. Dohko stood on the other side with a grin upon his face, dressed in a black Chinese-style shirt and blue jeans.

"And what might I do for you today, young warriors?" asked the Gold Saint of Libra.

"We have something to discuss," announced Kiki. "May we come inside?"

"By all means." He stepped aside to allow them entrance. "I was just about to make tea."

Kiki entered first, followed by the others. They settled themselves upon twin couches that were set at the center of the main living room as an L around a square coffee table, Kiki and A.J. on one, Atlantis and Ingmar on the other, leaving a single recliner available for Dohko.

"Do you think he will tell us?" asked Ingmar without looking up from his lap.

"I hope so," answered Kiki, although he did not feel much of the confidence he exuded. Just as Shion provided no answers, it was possible Dohko would be the same. Though he had never seen the Libra Saint grow as angry as he had seen his own master, he was certain the loss of the six affected Dohko in some way. He only hoped that the Chinese man who had been able to meditate unending for five hundred years kept enough of that peace to finally answer the questions Kiki had been dying to know the answers to.

Dohko stepped back into the Libra Temple living room with a tray ladden with tea cups, a kettle, a bowl of sugar and a small pitcher of milk. Upon the center of the table he sat the tray then proceeded to hand out the cups, fill them with tea, and offer the cream and sugar. Once settled in the recliner with his own cup of tea sweetened with nothing, Dohko blew gently at the steam that rose from the cup and smiled at the children. "So how may I help you?" he asked in a jovial tone.

Kiki took a deep breath. It was now or never. "We were wondering if there was ever a way a Saint could be forgotten."

Dohko paused in the sip of his tea. There was a deliberate pause before the Libra Saint smiled gently and answered. "No Saint of Athena could ever be forgotten. Whatever made you think that?" A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Do you think that someday you may be forgotten, Kiki? For I can assure you that no such thing could ever happen."

"Not me, Master Dohko," answered Kiki, his voice calm and steady though his gut churned with a nervous hitch. "Other Gold Saints."

Dohko placed his tea cup in the saucer that sat upon the coffee table, then looked to Kiki with a serious expression. "What is this all about, Kiki?"

Kiki could see that Dohko was beginning to get annoyed; having been around the man for so long made him aware of such things. That did not deter him from the questions, but seemed to push him farther to continue. One might have been afraid of what was to come from goading a powerful man such as Dohko, but Kiki knew that if he did not continue he would lose out on attaining even the simplest bit of information. He was a Saint of Athena and could not let fear hinder his quest.

"Just a hypothetical, Master Dohko," said Kiki, careful where he tread. "If a Gold Saint was to be forgotten by everyone in the world, what would be the cause of such a thing?"

Dohko's eyes narrowed as his mouth tightened. "No Gold Saint of Athena has ever been forgotten," he repeated. "There would never be a reason for something like that to happen." Cosmos rose from the Libra Saint that felt of anger and frustration. Ingmar and AJ shifted uncomfortable in their seats, Atlantis sank back into the couch and even Kiki faultered on his next words. He knew before uttering a sound that he was about to make the Gold Saint of Libra very, very angry. But if an answer could be squeezed from between harsh blows that were sure to come, Kiki would endure.

"But what if there was?" the young Aries-in-training asked earnestly. "What if there was something that a Gold Saint could have done to make themselves forgotten to everyone? What would that something be?"

Dohko growled low in his throat. Quick as a whip he rose from his chair to glare at Kiki with wild eyes. "How dare you!" he boomed. "You have the nerve to come into my Temple and ask such foolish things! I should beat you within an inch of your life for having such preposterous notions!" The Cosmos that radiated from Dohko rose to a stifling level. Kiki found it hard to breath under such a powerful wave. Dohko seemed not to notice the discomfort of his lover's pupil.

Kiki tried his hardest to ignore his rising fear. Answers had to be found, not only for his own peace of mind, but for the others as well. Whatever was happening between the Saints had to be a direct result of the missing six. There was nothing else it could be. Squaring his shoulders and rising from his seat, he glared directly into the angry eyes of the Libra Saint.

"I know there is something you're not telling me, Master Dohko. You may not remember them, but I do! Master Mu. . ."

Hands were quick upon Kiki's forearms to grip tight and lift him from his feet. Dohko's eyes blazed with rage; the Cosmos burned white-hot with anger. All words were lost upon Kiki's tongue as the overpowering Cosmos tore through him. Fear had never been so acute as it was at the moment, paired with one terrifying thought: _Master Dohko is going to kill me_.

"You abandoned son of a whore," said Dohko as Kiki was shaken. That Dohko said those words hurt worse than the truth behind them. "Shion takes you in, cares for you, trains you, treats you like a son, and this is the thanks he gets? You have the audacity to come to me with your disrespectful questioning?" The grip became so strong that the blood flow cut from Kiki's arms.

Kiki could no longer take the assault of Cosmos. He may have been powerful in his own right, but he was no match for the Libra Saint. He could feel bruises forming where his arms were gripped too tight. "I'm sorry, Master Dohko," he ground through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry I asked such foolish questions."

Dohko growled again. Kiki thought the man would punch him square in the face. He readied himself for a blow, but none came. Slowly the level of Cosmos shrunk until Dohko, his expression wistful and forlorn, loosened his grip on Kiki's arms. Kiki fell onto the couch as Dohko stepped back to his own recliner.

The Libra Saint fell onto the cushion. "My apologies, Kiki," said he, in a voice so lost that Kiki's heart hurt to hear it. "I. . .I don't know what came over me."

"That's okay, Master Dohko," said Kiki after taking his first full breath in what seemed like hours, yet was only seconds. "It's me who should apologize again for my idiocy."

Dohko said nothing. His eyes were glazed as they stared at a point beyond the kids.

"We should go," said Atlantis in a whispered voice.

"Yes," agreed Kiki. "Thank you, Master Dohko, for speaking with us."

The Libra Saint nodded but said not a word. Slowly, as not to disturb him, the four kids rose from their seats and quietly exited the Libra Temple living quarters. Nothing passed between them, not even a look, as they made their way outside.

"I was terrified," admitted Atlantis once they were all safely away from the Cosmos of the Libra Saint.

"Me too," said Kiki. His body shuddered as he remembered how it felt to be gripped under that powerful Cosmos, "but now you can all understand my concern. Master Dohko has never grown angry like that," nor has he ever said such hurtful things. Kiki swallowed down on adding the last statement, too painful to imagine that Dohko thought of him that way.

"And we are no closer to finding out the truth than we were ten minutes ago."

Kiki took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I have a feeling we will never be closer to the truth, not unless we ask Athena herself."

Ingmar wrapped his arms around himself. "Master said that we should not bother the goddess with questions."

"I agree," said Kiki. "Athena is very nice, but I highly doubt she would tell us something that she would keep from her Gold Saints."

AJ clapped Kiki on the shoulder. "We'll figure this out," he smiled, "Don't worry."

Kiki smiled back. "Thanks AJ."

The four decided to walk up to the Pisces temple to hang out for the rest of the day. At the Temple of Scorpio, Atlantis stepped aside.

"I'm going to break off here," she said.

"How come?" asked Kiki.

"Signore says that one is not the Gold Saint of Caner until they have experienced the sting of Scarlet Needle."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No idea," Atlantis said, "but I hope to find out."

Kiki shook his head. Deathmask was always weird; why should it surprise him to find that Atlantis was just as weird? "Have fun, Atlantis."

"Will do."

Kiki, Ingmar and AJ waved to Atlantis as she disappeared into the Scorpio Temple.


	20. Jabu

**Chapter Twenty: Jabu**

Sick of reading, Jabu lay back in his bed to stare at the ceiling, awash in thoughts of self-pity and self-hate. What right did he have to call himself a great Saint of Athena when he could not even master the Scorpio's greatest attack? What right did he have in accepting the mantle of the Gold Scorpio Cloth when he was such a complete and utter failure? By all rights, Saori should hate him, disown him and abandon him. How sick it made him to think that way, to think he was so unworthy of being a Saint that he would welcome Athena's dismissal. Life, as he had learned for so many years, was undoubtedly unfair. It hurt so much to be reminded constantly of his failure it made him want to cry. What good would that do? Nothing. Which was why he bit back the tears and tried his hardest to convince himself that he could succeed. And with each passing day, that conviction he always thought he had in abundance, was found to be sorely lacked.

A knock on the door of the Scorpio Temple living quarters roused him from indulging in another bout of misery. Who could be visiting him? He knew that the others his age had gone to the market without so much as an off-handed invite, so who was left to want his attention? The Gold Saints did not seem friendly enough to want his company, and the kids had each other. In a place where he should have felt complete camaraderie from the others because of their equal stature, he had never felt more alone. Curiosity alone forced him from the bed, across the expanse of dark interior, to the door. When he opened it, his eyes widened in shock.

"Atlantis!" he exclaimed. Never would he have expected the young Cancer to appear at his door. His mouth quickly curved into a smile. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I wish to spar," she said without hesitation. There was determination in her voice that left no room to argue.

Jabu had not sparred with anyone since coming to Sanctuary. It was an activity he sorely missed. He did wonder why, out of all Saints, it was him she wanted to test her skills on, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Fighting, honing his skills, would prove the perfect distraction to his inner turmoil. It was just the thing he needed to lift his spirits.

"Sure. Follow me. The backyard will provide plenty of room." He led her through the inside of the temple to the back where there was a large expanse of green field. It did make for the most perfect of training grounds, if ever he had the chance to use it. There were a few trees littered here and there to provide shade if one desired it, and there was enough room for two Saints of Gold to fight well without damaging any of the surrounding buildings. It was there where both he and Atlantis adopted their fighting stances. Cosmos rose like controlled wildfire.

"I won't go easy on you," he said with a smile.

"I wouldn't want you to," she answered from behind her mask.

She was bold to come here. Jabu had been a Saint longer than she'd been alive, and yet here she was demanding a fight. As promised he would not hold back, no matter her skill. Excitement thrummed through him as all previous thoughts disappeared. This was what he lived for: to fight by Athena's side. This was why he accepted the offer of the Gold Saint of Scorpio. Through this match between him and the Cancer Saint-in-training he would prove, not only to her but to himself, that he was worthy of donning the Cloth Athena had entrusted him with. Nothing, not even self-doubt, could take that away from him.

Quick as a whip she struck first, a blow with a clenched fist that he easily side-stepped. With great admiration he noted that her speed was indeed great, then lunged at her with his own fast-flying fist. Grace born of being female eased her movements to avoid getting hit. Jabu smiled to himself and struck out with his leg. This time it connected with her midsection, but she did not easily falter. Once again he found himself at the mercy of her fists; as quick as he was he could not avoid them all. When it connected he felt a thrum of excitement race down his spine. She truly was a formidable opponent, regardless of the gap in their ages. No wonder she had been chosen to shoulder the mantle of the Cancer Cloth.

As her Cosmos rose, he matched his equally. They raced around each other with lightening speed. Punches and kicks flew so fast he almost could not follow. It was exhilarating to fight her, so great was her determination to win. It could be felt in the Cosmos she launched at him. A clarity of mind came to him as he concentrated on a combination of kicks and punches. Gone were thoughts of worthlessness, gone was the loneliness, replaced with the joy of the fight and a great thankfulness to her for engaging him. They fought like a dance, and it was only when he raised his Cosmos beyond her level that he was able to land a kick to her stomach that sent her flying across the grass. Up on her feet once more, she lunged for him. That is when he decided to strike out with Scorpio's paralysis.

"_Restriction_!" Jabu cried as he sent his Cosmos flying in tendrils that curled around her body. Atlantis was rendered immobile on her feet, rooted to the spot, without the Cosmos to break free. He closed the gap between them and watched her struggle with an amused smile on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" she called out.

Confusion crossed his mind.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"C'mon, Jabu! Hit me with _Scarlet Needle_!"

Hearing those words made him falter. "I-I already caught you in my trap. Why would I do more?"

"What are you, chicken?"

He had no response to that.

"Bok bok bok bok bok. Chicken Jabu, that's what we'll call you! Chicken Jabu! Chicken Jabu! Cluck cluck cluck!"

Anger surged through him. How dare she? He had won. Shouldn't she be begging him not to hurt her any longer? Eyes narrowed as he stared at her. He brought up his hand and extended his pointer. "You really want this, little girl?"

"If you think you're man enough!" she responded.

A smirk formed on his face. All right. If this little Cancer wanted pain, he would be more than happy to bring it on. "You sure? Cause I won't comfort you when you start crying."

"Do it!"

"Oh, I will!"

"What are you waiting for, Chicken Jabu!"

Anger and amusement raised his Cosmos to the highest level. The entire area was charged with power. Every nerve in his body resonated with energy. This was it. This would be the day, the time, the place, that he would finally perform the Scorpio's greatest attack. It would work; he could feel it. Nowhere in his mind did he feel sorry that the little girl trapped in his Cosmos would come to understand just how painful a scorpion's sting could be. She did, after all, ask for it.

Arm raised, finger pointed, he stared at her and readied himself. After a deep breath, he ran toward her and cried out:

"_Scarlet Needle_!"

A gust of wind blew through the trees. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves. All Cosmos muted to nothing. Jabu lowered his arm and his head. Once again, to his great dismay, he found himself incapable of performing the Scorpio's attack. Every bad feeling he had before fighting Atlantis came back to smack him in the face.

Restriction dissipated to leave Atlantis free. She took two steps to bring her just under where Jabu hung his head. No words fell from her lips.

"I am a failure," he muttered. "I have failed Athena and I have failed myself." He gave a short, sad chuckle. "What made me think I could ever be a Gold Saint?" Saying those words out loud made him want to break down into tears. It hurt to be reminded how he would never be as good as Seiya and the others. Heck, he would not even be as good as Atlantis. With finality he knew: without a master to teach him he would never be anything more than the Bronze Saint Unicorn no matter how badly he yearned for it to be different. "I am unworthy of Saori-sama's love."

He jerked from his self-hating thoughts when a hand gripped his own gently. With widening eyes he watched as Atlantis lifted her mask to reveal an oval-shaped face, button nose, smiling lips and large chestnut-colored eyes. A sigh befell his lips.

"Great," he muttered as he looked down again. "Now you either have to kiss me or kill me." No questions as to why she did it ever rose in his mind; he only wanted her to be quick to bring about his death.

Atlantis made an expression of distaste. "I'm not going to kiss you, cause my heart belongs to Ingmar."

Jabu wondered if she truly understood what that meant, but did not ask.

"And I'm not going to kill you, cause I like you, Jabu."

He looked at her with amazement. She liked him?

"Let's just say I want us to be good friends." She smiled to display twin sets of white teeth that were only the slightest bit crooked.

He could not help but smile back at her. "Okay."

She launched herself at him and encased him in her arms. After recovering from the initial shock, he hugged her back. "Thank you, Atlantis."

"You can do it," she said. "You can master the Scorpio Saint techniques. I know you can."

And though he wanted to with all his heart, he wished he could feel as confident as she.


End file.
